In the name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Having meditated upon Psalm 51 let's turn our attention to another Psalm fitting for the season of Lent.
Psalm 16 is a psalm where David reveals to us the very words of the preincarnate Christ, the Son of God speaking before His birth. This psalm therefore opens us up to the mind of God in a different way than we often consider.
Read Luther's comments on Psalm 16, the Psalm and prayer. Also, take time to read Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts chapter 2. (If you have been in bible class in the fellowship hall, you will notice the connection to Joel in this portion of Acts.) Finally, read Acts 13:35 and it's context.
Notice how Scripture interprets Scripture! If you had any doubt that Christ Himself was speaking in Psalm 16 or whether or not Psalm 16 was speaking of Christ, the apostles in Acts leave no doubt!
This Psalm and others leave the Church no question regarding our confession of faith. We should never leave our confession of faith up to the dictates of the times, we should not look at other churches to decide what we should believe and confess, we shouldn't even look to one another for guidance. Rather, we collectively "search the Scriptures" for true understanding. The Scriptures: Law, Psalms, Prophets, Gospels, Epistles etc. all testify of Jesus Christ. The one who was crucified, God has raised up from the dead not allowing Him to see corruption and has seated Him at His right hand!
Now, with Peter, Paul, David and the whole church we confess with joy that "Through this Man is preached the forgiveness of sins." (Acts 13:38)
As you study the relation between Psalm 16 and the New Testament, consider how closely are we keeping to the clear and bold confession Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen again for the forgiveness of sins and salvation of the world.
Would our church today confidently stand with Peter and Paul as they confessed their faith so clearly?
Would Peter and Paul be pleased with our confession of Christ? More importantly by far, would our Lord consider us faithful?
Mill that one around for a while.
Until we meet again, Peace in Christ.
2 comments:
Once again I am amazed at the faithfulness of our God. I am in no way able to receive any of the beautiful inheritance except through the Lord who is my chosen portion. Not abandoning me to death but making it known my path to life. My cup truly runneth over
So, is the Church confidently standing with Peter and Paul confessing Christ clearly and boldly today? Is the Church making it clear that David in Psalm 16 is speaking of the holy One of God who would not see corruption because He is very God of very God and the only way to heaven?
In my opinion, the Church of today is quite often tempted to water down her confession. The Church is even sometimes the very body that questions whether or not David wrote this Psalm, who it is really talking about, why Peter and Paul said what they said and so one. What does the Church give itself as a foundation if it questions its own true foundation, the enduring Word of God?
Well, we need to understand that the Scriptures are clear, they are authoritative, and they are to be honored and treasured above all else in this life because they reveal the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ the world's Savior from sin. As you read the Psalms this good news should be clear to us through the specific Psalm and the interrelatedness between the Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures. The Pslams were not only an important confession of the Messiah to come in the days of King David, but they are and will continue to be a continued confession of Jesus Christ who has come, who has died and who has risen again for the justification of the sinner.
As we finish meditating upon this Psalm over the next few days pray that the Lord would keep us faithful to His Words and the confession of His name.
Peace in Christ.
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