A Wesleyan Appropriation of the Cry of Dereliction - Part 1

I apologize for the sparse posting of recent: I spent much of June preparing for a paper I presented at a colloquium in Manchester, from which I have shared a brief piece with you in the last post on impassibility. In the next few posts, I want to share some of the conclusions I have come to in regards to exploring a Wesleyan appropriation of Jesus' cry of dereliction at the cross ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

As you can read on this post, I have written bits and pieces on this issue, but in the next posts I will be sharing how this issue developed into the paper I presented. The paper was much more lengthy than what I'm going to share, so I'll cut right to the chase on the issues I see at stake.

When it comes to addressing the question of the significance of Jesus' cry from the cross, it is vital to turn to Psalm 22, seeing that Jesus was quoting that Psalm. John Wesley's introduction to his notes on Psalm 22 made it clear that he read the Psalm through the lens of Christ in saying that it was:

…directly, and immediately intended for, and [was] properly to be understood of the Messiah…[and was held to be so] by the Hebrew doctors themselves, and by Christ himself and by his apostles. And there are many passages in it, which were literally accomplished in him, and cannot be understood of any other. In this psalm David speaks of the humiliation of Christ, ver. 1 - 21. Of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22 - 31.

Many of Wesley’s notes throughout the Psalm are valuable for ascribing different verses therein directly to Christ on the cross. Potential difficulty arises, however, when we view Wesley's comments on the meaning of ‘forsaken'ness (v. 1) as applied to Christ as well as Wesley’s clarifying comment on the affirmation that God had not hid his face from the psalmist/Christ (v. 24), which is where we will direct our attention in this post.

On the word ‘forsaken’ Wesley interprets it as though Christ is saying: ‘[My God, Why have you] withdrawn the light of thy countenance, the supports and comforts of thy spirit, and filled me with the terrors of thy wrath’ and then adds in commenting that ‘this was in part verified in David, but much more fully in Christ.’ In verse 24, the psalmist says, ‘For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the poor: neither hath he hid his face from him, but when he called unto him, he heard.’ Wesley qualifies this significantly in taking ‘[neither hath he hid his face] from him’ to mean ‘for ever: tho’ he did so for a time.’ Said otherwise, according to Wesley, God hid his face from Jesus for a short time, though he does not specify if this was only a brief moment on the cross, for the duration of the crucifixion, or perhaps even from his praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. On Luke 22:44, in the midst of the passage of Jesus' praying in the Garden, Wesley noted that Jesus was ‘Probably just now grappling with the powers of darkness: feeling the weight of the wrath of God.’ That he began to feel God’s wrath even then might suggest that, according to Wesley, God’s face might have been hid from this moment. Wesley’s note on Jesus’ cry in Matthew’s gospel (27:46) does not clear this up but conveys, similarly,

Our Lord hereby at once expresses his trust in God, and a most distressing sense of his letting loose the powers of darkness upon him, withdrawing the comfortable discoveries of his presence, and filling his soul with a terrible sense of the wrath due to the sins which he was bearing.

It is clear that, for Wesley, God’s wrath is intricately linked with whatever is meant by God’s hiding his face from Christ. Although Wesley does not go so far as to say there was an actual separation or a split in the Godhead, which is the conclusion some are unafraid to explicitly embrace, the implications of this idea upon the doctrine of the Trinity are potentially disastrous. The thing that may rescue Wesley from committing a grievous error in rending apart the Persons of the Trinity might be in his comment on the first part of verse 24, when he clarifies that God had not ‘abhorred…’ in saying, ‘He did not turn away his face from it, as men do from things which they abhor.’ Wesley, it seems, interpreted at least this part metaphorically in that we should not equivocate human actions or emotions with those of God. Perhaps this is related to what Wesley said in his notes on Romans 5:9 on the nature of God’s wrath:

Wrath in man, and so love in man, is a human passion. But wrath in God is not a human passion; nor is love, as it is in God. Therefore the inspired writers ascribe both the one and the other to God only in an analogical sense.

If he saw the first part of Psalm 22:24 as analogical, then it is reasonable, though by no means definitive, to suggest that Wesley read the latter part, of God hiding his face from Jesus, analogically also.

In the remaining posts of this series, we'll look at the issue of Jesus' abandonment, whether it was real or perceived, look to a few Patristic sources as well as some more interaction with Wesley in relation to that question.

Psalm 22 (b): v. 22-31

To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,
A Psalm of David.

...

22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him;
all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;
and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
neither hath he hid his face from him;
but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation;
I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied;
they shall praise the LORD that seek him;
your heart shall live for ever.

27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD;
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD's;
and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship;
all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him;
and none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him;
it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness
unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

JW: In this psalm David speaks...of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.

22: 'Declare' - when thou hast delivered me. 'Thy name' - that power and faithfulness and goodness, which thou hast manifested on my behalf. 'Congregations' - Christ...extends this name to all his disciples, Matt. 12.48, 49, and to whom this very text is applied, Heb. 2.11, 12.

24: 'Abhorred' - he did not turn his face away from it, as men do from things which they abhor. '[God did not hide his face] From him' - for ever; tho' he did so for a time. (Sorry, Mr. Wesley, but I disagree.)

26: 'Satisfied' - This is doubtless to be understood of those spiritual blessings, that grace and peace, and comfort, which all believing souls have in the sense of God's love, the pardon of their sins, and the influence of God's spirit.

27: 'The world' - All nations from one end of the world to the other. So this is an evident prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, and a clear proof that this psalm immediately speaks of Christ, to whom alone this and divers of other passages of it, belong. 'Remember' - They shall remember their former wickedness with grief and shame, and fear...their great manifold obligation to God, which they had quite forgotten, his patience in sparing them so long, in the midst of all their impieties, and in giving his son for them; they shall remember the gracious words and the glorious works of Christ, what he did, and suffered for them.

31: 'His' - God's righteousness: his wonderful grace and mercy unto mankind, in giving them Christ and the gospel; for righteousness is often put for mercy or kindness... 'That he' - They shall declare that this is the work of God, and not of man.

Click for parts "(a)" and "(a): Remix". Where verses 1-21 of Psalm 22 clearly are fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus, these verses find fulfillment in Jesus' resurrection and what follows it. Let's start with Wesley's last observation: that this is the work of God, and not of man. This is huge, not only for understanding that it is God who works for and in and through us, but even so in the person of Christ. Read the New Testament carefully and you'll see that it Jesus does not raise himself from the dead. Jesus does not glorify himself. "God raised Jesus from the dead." "Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name." This is in no way to deny the divinity of the Son from eternity, but it is to recognize that as the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct Persons in the Godhead that it is the Father and the Spirit who glorify the Son.

And this is a significant reason why I have taken issue with the notion (that Wesley holds to, though he's not alone on this) that the Father literally turned his face away from his Son on the cross. Verse 24 makes this clear that in retrospect, it may have seemed that God was looking away or was absent when that evil was being done, he in fact was there and grieved over it. Indeed if God had hid his face, then we have a God who looks the other way at injustice. I refuse to believe that. I think it's poor exegesis and has even worse pastoral implications.

...

This (part of the) Psalm is about praise, so...

I praise You, Father, for not turning your face away but for hearing your Son and the cries of your people who endure pain and suffering from every angle.

I praise You, Son, for tasting and enduring everything that is human, even death, so that we would not be alone in this life or the next.

I praise You, Spirit, for the work You are doing in the midst of your people and this world in preparation for the marriage of the one to come, where heaven and earth shall forever be joined and celebrate a wedding feast of the union of God and humanity in the Person of Christ.

Death is here, but we know the cure for death has been injected and we await the day where the cure becomes complete. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Psalm 22 (a): v. 1-21

To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shahar,
A Psalm of David.

1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me,
and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But thou art holy,
O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee;
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered;
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6 But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn;
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 "He trusted in the LORD that he would deliver him;
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him."

9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb;
thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb;
thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me;
for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me;
strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths,
as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd;
and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
and thou hast brought me into the dust of the earth.

16 For dogs have compassed me;
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me;
they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones;
they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them,
and cast lots upon my vesture.

19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD;
O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword;
my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth;
for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

JW: It is composed that David was a type of Christ, and that many passages of the Psalms, though literally understood of David, yet had a further and mystical reference to Christ. But there are some other passages, which were directly, and immediately intended for, and are properly to be understood of the Messiah; though withal there may be some respect and allusion to the state of the penman himself. And this seems to be the state of this Psalm, which is understood of the Messiah, by the Hebrew doctors themselves, and by Christ himself and by his apostles. And there are many passages in it, which were literally accomplished in him, and cannot be understood of any other. In this Psalm David speaks of the humiliation of Christ, ver. 1-21; of the exaltation of Christ, ver. 22-31.

1: 'My God' - Who art my friend and father, though now thou frownest upon me. The repetition denotes the depth of his distress, which made him cry so earnestly. 'Forsaken' - withdrawn the light of thy countenance, the supports and comforts of thy spirit, and filled me with the terrors of thy wrath: this was in part verified by David, but much more fully in Christ. 'Roaring' - my outcries forced from me, by my miseries.

3: 'But thou art' - just and true in all thy ways, this he adds to strengthen his faith, and to enforce his prayers, and prevail with God for the honour of his holy name, to hear and help him. 'Inhabitest' - whom thy people are perpetually praising.

6: 'A worm' - neglected and despised. 'People' - not only of the great men, but also of the common people, which doth not so truly agree to David as to Christ.

7: 'Shoot out' - They gape with their mouths, in mockery. This and the next verse are applied to Christ, Matt. 27.39, 43.

14: 'Water' - My spirits are spent and gone like water which once spilt can never be recovered; my very flesh is melted within me, and I am become as weak as water. 'Bones' - I am as unable to help myself, and as full of torment as if all my bones were disjointed. 'Wax' - melted, through fear and overwhelming grief.

20: 'Darling' - Heb. my only one; his soul, which he so calls because it was left alone and destitute of friends and helpers.

Because of its length I may need to even break this down into more posts than just two, but I wanted to include this whole section for context. It seems that no other Psalm in the Psalter has more darkness and despair yet more hope and thanksgiving than this one. Perhaps my thinking is only this way because it appears more vividly than any other Psalm to apply to Christ and his Passion. This section (v. 1-21) is the darkness and despair.

Now here I have a bit of a bone to pick with Wesley. Maybe not so much with him because he probably only relays here (as in many cases) what the tradition he was accustomed to had handed on to him. But I think there has often been a gross misreading of this Psalm, verse 1 in particular, because of how people read the cry of dereliction (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) from the cross. What is the picture that is drawn in (most) evangelical renderings of this statement? That the Father (literally) turned his back on the Son because he couldn't look at the sin that was on his Son. But if that's how we take what this means when Jesus roars it from the cross, then we have a divorce between verse 1 of this Psalm from the rest of the Psalm, verses 2-21, in particular. Can you show me where in this Psalm there is reference to the Lord not coming through because of any sinfulness or wrongdoing that the Psalmist has done? And if we have the image of a Father who literally turns his back on his Son in the moment of the Son's greatest despair, then what sort of portrayal of the Trinity are we advocating? I'm not suggesting that Jesus in the cross doesn't deal with God's wrath, but because that takes place, we shouldn't automatically read that into everything that pertains to Jesus' death. Let's let this Psalm and other passages that refer to the cross speak on their own terms. I think there's a better option.

Sure the Psalm was more literally fulfilled in Christ than any person or group in history. But this Psalm is the cry of the righteous innocent calling upon the faithfulness and justice of God and asking why He hasn't come through to the rescue in this case. The garments of the faithful are shredded and divided among the enemies of God all the time. Innocent people are and have been oppressed countless times in history. Many people die alone, being rejected and despised, or worse, ignored by the people. Maybe Jesus, in making such a loud cry in his greatest moment of desperation, is resonating/empathizing with the suffering of the righteous ones through all of time. "Where are you, God?" There's much more about this passage I want to wrestle with, but since this is a blog and not a thesis, I'll save some more for later. With that, watch this video from Jars of Clay's 'Oh My God'...notice that amongst those who say this, the artist says "Saviors always say..."

Psalm 20

To the chief musician,
A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble;
the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary;
and strengthen thee out of Zion;
3 Remember all thy offerings;
and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.

4 Grant thee according to thine own heart,
and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation,
and in the name of our God we will set up our banners;
the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.

6 Now know I that the LORD saveth all his anointed;
he will hear him from his holy heaven
with the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen;
but we are risen, and upright.

9 Save, LORD! Let the king hear us when we call.

JW: A prayer for the king, ver. 1-4; the king and the people rejoice in God, and pray for his help, ver. 5-9.

5: 'Rejoice' - Hereby they shew their confidence in God, and their assurance of the victory.

6: 'Now' - We are already sure of victory by the consideration of God's power and faithfulness and love to David, and to his people. They speak as one person, because they were unanimous in this prayer. 'Saveth' - will certainly save. 'Strength' - This shews how God will hear him, even by saving him with a strong hand.

7: 'Remember' - trust in it.

9: 'Let the king' - God, the supreme monarch, the king of kings, and in a peculiar manner the king of Israel.

Briefly, I'll echo Wesley's recognition of the spirit of the Psalm moving from confident petitions, to, dare I say, an audacious rejoicing in the knowledge of the forthcoming deliverance/salvation of God. Think about the audacity it takes for someone to rejoice in salvation and redemption in the midst of this broken world. Ungrounded in reality it can lead to escapism, but focused on the fact that there is still something to be done, this is the power of God in God's people!

Broadening the horizons beyond what Wesley saw immediately, I read this Psalm like many others: through the lens of the cross and resurrection of Christ. Call me a broken record if you will, but I think this is the best way for Christians to read Scripture, because ultimately Scripture points us to an event...a Person, rather. Scripture calls us to "Remember the name of the LORD our God."

In this Psalm I'm imagining the disciple whom Jesus loved, in his Gospel, 21.8-9: "The the other disciple [the one whom Jesus loved], who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead." Can't you hear John saying, "Now I know that the LORD saveth his Anointed...with the saving strength of his right hand"?

I love Wesley's very brief comment on the "remember" of verse 7: trust in it. Fred Craddock, in his commentary on Philippians for the Interpretation series, stated something I've not forgotten: To be a Christian is in large part an act of memory. When Jesus says, "When you partake of this bread...(and) cup, remember me," he's asking for something more than recollection. If it were recollection he were after, then we in the 21st century would have some difficulty, wouldn't we? It's an active remembrance that is calling us to trust in him, in his sacrifice, and ultimately in the deliverance that he has enjoyed from the grip of death and will bestow to us in the forthcoming resurrection of our own! Accordingly, we can have the audacity to rejoice in God's salvation and have the confidence that the King of kings indeed hears us when we call!

Psalm 19

To the chief musician,

A Psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech,

and nigh unto night sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language,

where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,

and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven,

and his circuit unto the ends of it;

and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever;

the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold;

sweeter also than the honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned;

and in keeping of them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?

cleanse thou me from secret faults.

13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me;

then I shall be upright,

and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

JW: The book of the creatures shews us the power and Godhead of the Creator, ver. 1-6; the book of the scriptures shews us his will, the excellency thereof, ver. 7-11; a prayer against sin, ver. 12-14.

1: 'Heavens' - They are as a legible book, wherein he that runs may read it. 'The glory' - His eternal power and Godhead, his infinite wisdom and goodness.

3: 'Heard' - or understood...the heavens are such an universal teacher that they can speak to all people and be clearly understood by all.

4: 'Line' - This expression is very proper, because the heavens do not teach men audibly or by speaking to their ears, but visibly by propounding things to their eyes, which is done in lines or writings.

5: 'Bridegroom' - gloriously adorned with light as with a beautiful garment, and smiling upon the world with a pleasant countenance. 'Chamber' - in which he is poetically supposed to have rested all night, and thence to break forth as it were on a sudden.

6: 'The ends' - His course is constant from east to west, and thence to the east again. So that there is no part of the earth which doth not one time or other feel the benefit of his light and heat.

7: 'The law' - The doctrine delivered to his church, whether by Moses, or by other prophets. Having discoursed hitherto of the glory of God shining forth in the visible heavens, he now proceeds to another demonstration of God's glory, which he compares with and prefers before the former. 'Perfect' - completely discovering both the nature and will of God, and the whole duty of man, what he is to believe and practice, and whatsoever is necessary to his present and eternal happiness. Whereas the creation, although it did declare so much of God as left all men without excuse, yet did not fully manifest the will of God, nor bring men to eternal salvation. 'Converting' - from sin to God, from whom all men are naturally revolted. 'Testimony' - His law, so called because it is a witness between God and man, what God requires of man, and what upon the performance of that condition, he will do for man.

8: 'Rejoicing' - By the discoveries of God's love to sinful men, in offers and promises of mercy... 'The eyes' - of the mind, with a complete manifestation of God's will and man's duty, both of which the works of nature and all the writings of men discover but darkly and imperfectly.

12: 'Who' - Thy law, O Lord, is holy and just and good. But I fall infinitely short of it. 'Cleanse' - Both by justification, through the blood of thy Son, and by sanctification thro' thy Holy Spirit. Though the first may seem to be principally intended, because he speaks of his past sins. 'Secret' - from the guilt of such sins as were secret either: from others, such as none knows but God and my own conscience; or from myself, such as I never observed, or did not discern the evil of. Pardon my unknown sins, of which I never repented particularly, as I should have done.

13: 'Presumptuous' - from known and evident sins, such as are committed against knowledge, against the checks of conscience, and the motions of God's spirit. 'Dominion' - If I be at any time tempted to such sins, Lord let them not prevail over me, and if I do fall into them, let me speedily rise again.

14: 'Let' - Having prayed that God would keep him from sinful actions, he now prays that God would govern and sanctify his words and thoughts; and this was necessary to preserve him from presumptuous sins, which have their first rise in the thoughts. 'Redeemer' - this expression seems to be added emphatically, and with special reference to Christ, to whom alone this word (Goel) can properly belong.

This post has been lengthy enough, so I'm not going to add anything of significance. I thought it was worth posting each of the thoughts above by Wesley. I like especially how he couches his overview of the Psalm in terms of the "book" of creation and the "book" of Scripture. We would do well to realize that these two "books" are not in contrast with one another. All truth, including what is discovered through nature, is God's truth. So if something is discovered that seems contradictory to Scripture, then we need to assess our approach to interpreting both. We shouldn't force the Bible to say something that it is not. But the same also goes for study of the creation.

(Nerd alert: theological take - In reference to the question of whether or not Wesley has a stance on 'natural theology,' I think his interaction with this Psalm has an implicit understanding of prevenient grace. The way he describes the sun, in terms of everyone benefitting from its light and heat, sounds very much congruent with his understanding of prevenient grace, which he sees at work in John 1.9: 'the light which enlightens every man...' This note comes nowhere near to answering the question of 'natural theology' and Wesley, but this just stood out to me.)

Psalm 18 (a): v. 1-19

This Psalm presents a challenge for blogging by its sheer size (50 verses). Therefore, I will try to break up larger Psalms such as this one into 2 or more posts. I realize the disadvantage of this approach is that it may disrupt the flow or I may miss the message of the entire Psalm, but I plan on addressing the Psalm as a whole in relation to Wesley's interaction with the Psalm as a whole, which he does in his Notes.

To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song, in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said:

1 I love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
my God, my strength in whom I will trust;
my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me,
and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about;
the snares of death prevented me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God;
he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
and fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place;
his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed,
hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice;
hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen,
and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke,
O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me,
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me;
for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
...

JW: David triumphs in God, ver. 1-3; praises God for his past deliverance, ver. 4-19; takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, ver. 20-28; gives God the glory of all his victories, ver. 29-42; expresses his hope of what God would do farther, ver. 43-50. This Psalm with some few and small variations, is written, 2 Samuel 22.1-51. It was composed by David towards the end of his life, upon the occasion here mentioned...

Title of the psalm. 'Servant' - Who esteems it a greater honour to be thy servant, than to be the king of Israel. 'Saul' - after the death of Saul, and the conquest of all his succeeding enemies, and his own firm establishment in his kingdom.

[On verse 1:] 'Love' - most affectionately, and with my whole soul; as the Hebrew word signifies.

[On verse 2:] 'Rock' - to which I flee for refuge, as the Israelites did to their rocks.

[On verse 7:] 'Then' - then God appeared on my behalf in a glorious manner, to the terror and confusion of all mine enemies, which is here compared to an earthquake.

[On verse 8:] 'There went...' - All these seem to be figurative expressions, denoting the greatness of his anger.

[On verse 9:] 'Came' - not by change of place, but by the manifestation of his presence and power on my behalf.

[On verse 19:] 'Brought' - out of my straits and difficulties, into a state of freedom and comfort. So he ascribes all his mercies to God's good pleasure, as the first spring of them.

I haven't commented on any of the "titles" (or pre-scripts you may call them) of any of the Psalms on this series yet, but this one stands out to me on a couple of fronts. First is the entitlement of David as servant (or slave) as opposed to referring to him as king. Assuming this pre-script was added on by a later editor, I'm curious by this move. Perhaps it is a recognition that David really saw himself in this light; hence, the title would acknowledge David's humility. The second thing is "...enemies, and...Saul." Perhaps there's nothing to this and the extra mentioning of Saul's name is just to indicate that Saul was a significant enemy of David. But I'm inclined to think that David never put Saul in the category of "enemy" even after Saul's death (for instance, examine his kindness to Mephibosheth, a descendant of Saul). Even though Saul continually sought David's death, David always respected the king and even spared his life when he had the opportunity to take it. In any case, Saul pursued David as an enemy and that certainly plays into the context of this Psalm.

Look at the images of strength in the first three verses! I'm taken to Martin Luther's 'A Mighty Fortress is Our God' in these verses. And David expresses a tender response, "love," to this strong God who is like a rock, a high tower, etc. God's strength...God's right arm is how we are saved from our enemy. So we, like David here, like the enslaved Israelites in Egypt before him (see Exodus 3.7), and like Christ after him (see Matthew 27.46, Mark 15.34), can cry unto the Lord in our distress and know that our cries are heard...even into [God's] ears.

We'll get more into the cry of dereliction ('My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?') when we get to Psalm 22. But I do want to mention here that I think it's appropriate to read verses 4-15 of Psalm 18 through the lens of the cross, and more particularly, to view the phenomena of the earthquake and clouds NOT as divine wrath against Jesus who had taken on our sin, but as divine sympathy with the righteous One who was suffering unjustly. To me, this has a much more theological and pastoral payoff than the notion that darkness means that God was showing his wrath against Jesus. It's more participatory. And that's not to say that we are saving ourselves, or that dying a righteous death is enough to undo all the sins we've committed. Rather, it's merely emphasizing what Paul did in so many places...union with Christ, even in his death and resurrection (see Philippians chapter 3). In that, then, we can see that verse 16 is the turning point, where God brings victory and deliverance and vindicates the righteous One by raising him from the dead. Notice the reference to waters, a reference we can clearly link with baptism, which is certainly about death and resurrection! And we are united to God in Christ through this. Death, indeed is a strong enemy, but God, our deliverer, is much stronger, and how about this: He "delights in" us!

Psalm 16

Michtam of David.

1 Preserve me, O God;
for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, "Thou art my Lord;
my goodness extendeth not to thee."

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent,
in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god;
their drink offerings of blood will I not offer,
nor take up their names into my lips.

5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup;
thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;
yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel;
my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;
my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
in thy presence is fulness of joy;
at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

JW: David professes his trust in God, his adherence to him and love of his people, ver. 1-3; his satisfaction in God, ver. 4-7; he speaks in the person of Christ, of God's presence with him, of his resurrection and the glory that should follow, ver. 8-11.

As David was both a member, and an eminent type, of Christ, he speaks of himself sometimes in the one and sometimes in the other capacity: and therefore having spoken himself as a member of Christ in the former part of the psalm, he proceeds to consider himself as a type of Christ, and being inspired by the Holy Ghost: towards the close he speaks such things, as though they might be accommodated in a very imperfect sense, yet could not properly belong to any but Christ, to whom therefore they are justly appropriated in the New Testament.

[On verse 3:] 'But' - I bear a singular respect and love to all saints, for thy sake, whose friends and servants they are, and whose image they bear.

[On verse 5:] 'The Lord' - I rejoice in God as my portion, and desire no better, no other felicity. 'Cup' - the portion which is put into my cup, as the ancient matter was in feasts, where each had his portion of meat, and of wine allotted to him.

[On verse 8:] 'I have set' - I have always presented him to my mind, as my witness and judge, as my patron and protector. Hitherto David seems to have spoken with respect to himself, but now he is transported by the spirit of prophecy, and carried above himself, to speak as a type of Christ, in whom this and the following verses were truly accomplished. Christ as man did always set his father's will and glory before him. 'Right hand' - to strengthen, protect, assist, and comfort me: as this assistance of God was necessary to Christ as man.

[On verse 9:] 'My flesh' - my body shall quietly rest in the grave. 'Shall rest' - in confident assurance of its incorruption there, and of its resurrection to an immortal life.

More than in many other Psalms, Wesley's comments here resemble a test case that displays significant segments of his theology: a Christ-centered hermeneutic (typology), Christology, anthropology, and eschatology.

Staying true to what Wesley said in his introduction to the Book of Psalms, this Psalm is appropriately read through the lens of Christ, especially to the hope that we have in light of his resurrection. And it is in this light that I want to share with you an insight shared with me from a former professor.

If you've read many of my posts, you've likely come across the idea of the importance for Christians to maintain a faith and confidence in the bodily resurrection, as opposed to some notion of an immortal disembodied soul. The resurrection is something that not only happened for Jesus, but also will happen for us all. This is why David declares prophetically here, "my flesh shall rest in hope." It's also why Paul tells us that "we grieve, but not as those without hope." It is because death has been conquered in Christ's resurrection and will be ultimately destroyed in the general resurrection. If after death all that happens to me is that my soul goes to heaven, then death remains the victor. Some may question the pastoral application of this approach if spoken in the context of a funeral or recent loss of a close friend or family member. It is questioned because we're pressured to bring a word of happiness that will bring comfort for grievers NOW, that will cause them/us to be jubilant NOW! We're forced, essentially, into saying that "(fill in the blank) is in heaven, is no longer suffering, so everything is okay and great!" And this all too often leads to a troubling conclusion when you hear someone say of a corpse, "That's not really (fill in the blank)."

That is something I've heard from people many times. And it is what a friend and former professor of mine heard at his grandfather's funeral visitation. His grandfather was the first person he recalls dying with whom he had an intimate connection. Folks attempted to console him with that phrase. "That's not really your grandfather! He's in heaven now!" I'm not sure he actually said this to his "consolers" but his reply was, "I don't know my grandfather apart from that body. Those hands are the hands that held me. Those lips are the lips that read to me and told me stories...I don't know my grandfather apart from that body." Please don't mistake his reply for despair. It is a sobering reality. It is grief. But knowing my friend's confidence that his grandfather's body will one day be raised, it is NOT a grief without hope. I think that's what hope looks like in this "now and not yet" kingdom era we live in. A hope that is dissatisfied with pat answers. A hope that is dissatisfied that hurt still happens. A hope that is dissatisfied that death still stings. But a hope that confidently awaits a day when hurt and death will be no more, when it "shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" That is how we can rejoice! For "my flesh also shall rest in hope."

Psalm 2

1 Why do the heathen rage,

and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers take counsel together,

against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 "Let us break their bands asunder,

and cast away their cords from us."

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh;

the LORD shall have them in derision.

5 Then he shall speak unto them in his wrath,

and vex them in his sore displeasure, [saying,]

6 "Yet I have set my king

upon my holy hill of Zion."

7 I will declare the decree:

the LORD hath said unto me, "Thou art my Son;

This day I have begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen

for thine inheritance,

and the uttermost parts of the earth

for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;

thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings;

be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish from the way,

when his wrath is kindled but a little.

Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

JW: There is nothing in this psalm which is not applicable to Christ, but some things which are not all applicable to David. Threatenings denounced against the adversaries of Christ's kingdom, ver. 1-6; Promises made to Christ, ver. 7-9; Counsel given to all, to submit to him, ver. 10-12.

[On verse 7:] 'My Son'- which tho' it may in some sort be said to, or of David, yet much more properly belongs to Christ, who is commonly known by this title both in the Old and New Testament, and to whom this title is expressly appropriated by the Holy Ghost, who is the best interpreter of his own words, Acts 13.33, Heb. 1.5. 'This day' - This may be understood either, Of his eternal generation. This day, from all eternity, which is well described by 'this day,' because in eternity there is no succession, no [yesterday], no [tomorrow], but it is all as one continued day or moment without change or flux; or, Of the manifestation of Christ's eternal son-ship in time; which was done both in his birth and life, when his being the son of God was demonstrated by the testimony of the angel, Luke 1.32, and of God the Father, Matt. 3.17; 17.5, and by his own words and works; and in his resurrection, which seems to be here mainly intended, of which day this very place is expounded, Acts 13.33.

[On verses 10-11:] 'Now' - while you have time for repentance and submission. 'Fear' - With an awful sense of his great and glorious majesty. 'Rejoice' - do not esteem his yoke your dishonour and grievance; but rejoice in this inestimable grace and benefit. 'Trembling' - This is added to warn them of taking heed that they do not turn this grace of God into wantonness.

Though this Psalm is referenced in Acts 13.33, as Wesley notes, the context of which is about Christ's resurrection, I still find it providential that this Psalm is in view on Epiphany, which I posted on earlier today. Epiphany, as was said then, has to do with the revelation of Jesus as the Christ and God's Son. This is made very public in Jesus' baptism when the voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Notice this: Christ heard these words at his baptism. Immediately following his baptism, Jesus, as we know, went into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. Does one of the temptations sound familiar to the next line in this psalm? "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage." Remember how the devil tempted Jesus with bestowing authority over the whole world? (See Matt. 3.8-9; Luke 4.5-7.) And it is precisely Christ's Son-ship that Satan is trying to attack as it tempts Him. Jesus knew who had the ultimate authority and who was speaking to him. He knew his Father's voice. We would do well to be acquainted with the Shepherd's voice.

I appreciate Wesley's Christological take on this Psalm. His approach stays true to his introduction to the Psalter, and stays true to the tradition of the Church to read Scripture through the lens of Christ.

One final note on this Psalm: I'm intrigued by the language of verse 3 - "Let us break their bands asunder..." Maybe I'm reading too much into this or maybe I've just got some of Charles Wesley's lyrics from the Nativity on my mind, but I am curious if Charles was using the language of the rulers who conspire against the Anointed and turns the words on their head to show that it is the Anointed who will be the One to "break bands" asunder. Hymn VI of the Nativity collection, which I blogged on last month, has this lyric: "Those Infant-hands shall burst our bands and work out our salvation."

Prologue to the Psalms by John Wesley

In preparation for my upcoming series on blogging through the Psalter, I read through John Wesley's preface to the Book of Psalms in his Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament. I can't think of a better way of introducing this journey I am beginning with you than to share with you his introduction to this magnificent collection of psalms. With each Psalm, I'll post some of the insights gleaned from Wesley's Notes in addition to interacting with the Psalms themselves. With that, here is Wesley's introduction to the Psalter (note: I have emboldened several portions for emphasis)...

"We have now before us one of the choicest parts of the Old Testament, wherein there is so much of Christ and his gospel, as well as of God and his law, that it has been called the summary of both Testaments. The history of Israel, which we were long upon, instructed us in the knowledge of God. The book of Job gave us profitable disputations, concerning God and his providence. But this book brings us into the sanctuary, draws us off from converse with men, with the philosophers or disputers of this world, and directs us into communion with God. It is called, the Psalms, in Hebrew Tehillim, which properly signifies Psalms of praise, because many of them are such; but Psalms is a more general word, meaning all poetical compositions, fitted to be sung. St. Peter styles it, The book of Psalms. It is a collection of Psalms, of all the Psalms that were divinely inspired, composed at several times, on several occasions, and here put together, without any dependence on each other. Thus they were preserved from being scattered and lost, and kept in readiness for the service of the church. One of these is expressly said to be the prayer of Moses. That some of them were penned by Asaph is intimated in 2 Chronicles 29.30, where they are said to praise the Lord, in the words of David and Asaph, who is there called a seer or prophet. And some of the Psalms seem to have been penned long after, at the time of the captivity in Babylon. But the far greater part were wrote by David, who was raised up for establishing the ordinance of singing Psalms in the church of God, as Moses and Aaron were for setting the ordinance of sacrifice. Theirs indeed is superseded, but this [book of Psalms] will remain, 'till it be swallowed up in the songs of eternity. There is little in the book of Psalms of the ceremonial law. But the moral law is all along magnified, and made honourable. And Christ the foundation, corner, and top - stone of all religion, is here clearly spoken of; both his sufferings, with the glory that should follow, and the kingdom he would set up in the world."

If his assessments above are accurate, then are we not missing out on a rich resource when it comes to the songs we sing? If Christ is so central, the moral law of love is deemed honorable, and they were kept "for the service of the church," "fitted to be sung," etc., then we ought to plumb the depths of this great Book and not just read, but sing these psalms!