Psalms: Stuff from my Bible Lit Class

[Chasmira1060]

PSALMS 23 and 24 from a Christian's Perspective
PSALM 23 FROM A CHRISTIAN’S PERSPECTIVE
If Psalm 22 correlates with the story of the Crucifixion, Psalm 23 makes me think of the aftermath, after Christ has ascended and the Holy Spirit has descended, and after people start to declare themselves ‘Christians.’
The first verses speak of the Lord leading like a Shepherd. This makes me think of how, in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit entered all believers for the purpose of guiding their lives since God would no longer physically appear to men. Verse three says He “restoreth the soul;” the Holy Spirit is supposed to be able to restore and heal the soul and give a person confidence. In verse four, the protective nature of God is shown, and the rod and staff not only guide, but could also be used to reprimand. This makes me think how God recommends us, and also, in the New Testament, is said to help people know when they’re doing wrong. help them correct it. Verse five states how God’s blessings are overflowing; even in the midst of enemies He is there, while verse six states that the Psalmist will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, believed by Christians also.
PSALM 24 FROM A CHRISTIAN’S PERSPECTIVE
This Psalm sort of makes me think of Christians going to Heaven when they die, and also the Second Coming of Christ. After declaring that all Creation is God’s, the Psalmist states that those who shall see God are those with “clean hands and a pure heart.” These people shall receive blessing and righteousness; in the New Testament, having righteousness is often linked with salvation. Finally, the Psalm speaks of the King of Glory, mighty in battle, the King of Hosts entering what we assume to be the gates of Heaven, which makes me think of Christ’s triumphal reign after the Second Coming.


PSALM 23 From a Christian's Perspective
PSALM 22 FROM A CHRISTIAN’S PERSPECTIVE
One of the things we discussed in class was how most Christians correlate Psalm 22 with the story of the crucifixion; as a Christian, I decided to delve into this and see what correlations I could find, not only for Psalm 22, but also for Psalms 23 and 24, as shall be reflected in my subsequent postings.
The very first words of the Psalmist, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” are those quoted by Christ on the cross. He says he cries out to God, but God does not answer; in the same sense, God had forsaken Christ because He bore the sins of the whole world, and God cannot look upon sin; this is further emphasized in verse six, when the Psalmist says he is a worm; he is lowly and despised and does not deserve God’s help; in the same sense, Christ was lowly and despised by men, and also unworthy of God’s presence as He bore all men’s sins. Verse eight challenges the Psalmist, mocking him and asking that if he trusts God so much, why doesn’t God save him? The same words were spoken to Christ as He hung on the cross. In verse 10, the Psalmist says of God that “Thou art my God from my mother’s belly.” For the Psalmist, this probably means that he was God’s because he is an Israelite, but in comparison to Christ, it could be referring to how Christ was always God’s, always with God, always His servant even before He was born to Mary. Verse fourteen says the Psalmist is “Poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.” The water could refer to the body losing water and blood, while the bones being out of joint refers to how your body is stretched when crucified. Verse sixteen mentions the piercing of hands and feet, while verse seventeen, “I may tell all my bones,” is correlated with how Christ’s bones were not broken. The last verses speak of the Psalmist praising God and saying how “all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord,” and that “they shall come, and declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this,” which makes me think of the great commission, almost like a prophecy of the disciples and how they will go out into all the world and tell the world about Christ and what He did for mankind on the cross.
Whether coincidence or no, this whole Psalm can be viewed as a very direct correlation to the story of the crucifixion. Based one what we learned yesterday, however, one might be seeing these patterns because they believe in them so very much; these patterns might not really be there, but mere coincidences, though I believe this too is open to interpretation.