The Psalms: Psalms 1-8

Psalm 1‑8  •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 13
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Psa. 1 to 8 offer a partial whole, of exceeding interest to the soul, as regards the Lord Jesus.
The first presents the righteous Man, and the natural result of His righteousness, under the government of God. Christ alone was that righteous Man.
The second gives the title of Christ in the counsels of God, in spite of the raging of kings and rulers, as King in God's hill of Zion, according to the decree which owned Him Son, i.e., as born in the earth (or risen), but down here in time. But then we find, instead of that, those increased that trouble Him; and these features of sorrow being gone through, through His identification with the godly Remnant, for they were their sorrows, it follows in these sorrows that, in the exaltation of Jehovah, His place becomes a far larger one-that of the Son of man, Heir of all things put under man by God's counsels, i.e., of all things, as shown in Heb. 2; compare Eph. 1, and 1 Cor. 15. The Remnant speak, "O Jehovah, our Adon, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” But then meanwhile He had set His glory above the heavens-taken babes and sucklings to praise Him to still the enemy, and then comes the exaltation of the Son of man, and His dominion over all, as explained in Heb. 2 (Eph. 1 adds the Church and other points afterward) and Jehovah great in all the earth. We see this transition, from " Christ " to the " Son of man," throughout Matthew—though also the title " Son of the living God," for the building of the Church; and in Luke 9, He straitly charges them not to say He was the Christ, and turns to His position of Son of man in suffering and glory, insisting on the suffering, as such, from Jews and Gentiles down here—first Jews, as not taking Messiah's place, and then Man—as taking a new place by Himself.
It is interesting also to compare Psalm t, the righteous Man—Psa. 2, consecrated King in Zion, Son of God as on earth, "This day have I begotten thee"—Psa. 8, Son of man, a far larger place and scene of glory than Messiah who was rejected—Psalm 110, Adon, sitting on the right hand of Jehovah, then Melchizedek in Zion—and Psa. 102, the Lord, the Creator, always the same though cut off in the midst of His days. Psa. 20 to 24 are more the circumstances in which He was placed, from distress and trials, up to that glory in which He is recognized as Lord of Hosts, the King of glory.