Dear Friend, You desire a little light on the Book of Psalms, and especially to know how they are divided. We can do little more, in our brief space, than give you a mere hint or two.
In the first place, then, it is important, in approaching the study of this most precious book, to remember that, in its primary aspect, it is for God’s earthly people Israel. This is very clear from Rom. 3:1919Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19), where the apostle, after quoting from the Psalms, goes on to say, “Now we know, that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law.” This marks the application of the Psalm with great distinctness. It is to them who are under the law. Hence, when you come to study them, you do not find in them the knowledge of full redemption—you do not hear the cry of “Abba”—you do not trace the breathings of the spirit of adoption—the spirit of liberty. Son ship and an indwelling Spirit are unknown to souls under the law.
True it is, you get most precious piety in the Psalms-—real confidence in, and looking to, God—an earnest thirsting after Him. All this we may well cultivate and long after. But, on the other hand, you find the soul oft-times in a state of bondage and fear, dreading the wrath of God, and sighing for deliverance. And, further, you continually listen to the cry for vengeance upon enemies, the calling upon God to judge them—things perfectly consonant with a legal state and an earthly standing, but wholly unsuited to a people in the enjoyment of grace, knowing redemption, and consciously standing in the relationship of children.
Hence, then, dear friend, it would be a great mistake for a Christian—a child of God—a heavenly man, to go back to the position of soul presented in the Psalms, or to make the language of those Psalm the measure of his piety or of his experience. No doubt such an one can richly enjoy the Psalms, and adopt many of the expressions therein. Indeed, it is only when one knows his true standing in a risen and glorified Christ, and also the true dispensational place of the Book of Psalms, that he can truly enjoy them. It is not to be supposed that a child of God in a low and a legal state, who goes to the Psalm in order to find in their language the true vehicle in which to convey his own feelings and experiences—can have proper enjoyment of them. Far from it. If you really want to understand and enjoy the Psalms, you must approach them in the full light of the New Testament—in the clear understanding that they belong to a state out of which you have been taken by the death and resurrection of Christ. Where do you get aught of life in a risen Christ in the Psalms? Nowhere.
But, in order to aid you a little in seizing the true idea of the dispensational place of this profound and wondrous Book, let us call your attention to the mode in which the Holy Ghost quotes from it in the New Testament. Take the following: “The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” (Psalm 34:1616The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (Psalm 34:16).) Now part of this verse contains a dispensational truth, and part of it contains an eternal truth, above and beyond all dispensations. It is always true that “The face of the Lord is against them that do evil;” but it is not always true that He is cutting off the remembrance of them from the earth. Accordingly, when the Spirit in the apostle Peter quotes this verse, He leaves out the last clause. (See 1 Pet. 3:1212For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3:12).) Why is this? Because God is now dealing in grace. He is reconciling sinners instead of cutting off. Take another instance, though we do not refer to it as a quotation. “Trust in the Lord and do good.” Here is an eternal principle. But mark what follows. “So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” Here you have a dispensational promise, applicable to an earthly people. The Christian is not promised any earthly blessings. Paul trusted in the Lord and did good; and in place of dwelling in the land, he was beheaded at Rome; and, even during his lifetime, he often suffered hunger and nakedness.
But enough. We must leave you to think and study for yourself. We merely add a word, at your request, as to the division of this most delightful Book. It is divided into five distinct books, as follows. Book 1, containing Psalm 1—41. Book 2, containing 42.-72. Book 3, containing Psalm 73-89. Book 4, containing Psalm 90-106. Book 5, containing Psalm 107-150. Into the distinct principle running through these divisions, we cannot now enter. We merely add that while we have, scattered up and down, throughout the whole volume of Psalms, some of the most blessed, beautiful, and fervent utterances of praise and thanksgiving to God—expressions of delight in Him and longing after Him—language, in short, which may be adopted by the saint of every age—still we must remember that the Psalm are not the expression of the Church’s worship, though they may well be the subject of the Church’s prayerful study and adoring contemplation. God forbid we should pen a single line that might even seem to anyone to be a depreciation of a book which has proved an ever gushing fountain of refreshment to the saints of God in all ages. All we desire is to set before you, dear friend, what we consider to be the true dispensational place of the Psalm
Many, we are aware, consider the Psalm to be the only vehicle of the Church’s worship; and the reason they assign is that they are divinely inspired, whereas hymns are merely human compositions and even paraphrases more or less so. But this argument will not stand. If we can produce a single expression throughout the entire one hundred and fifty Psalm which a Christian could not intelligently and truthfully use, it entirely breaks down. Now we know that many of the Psalm contain utterances of the Spirit of Christ—utterances given forth when He was making atonement for our sins, when He was enduring the wrath due to us, when He was forsaken of God, when He stood where we, thanks be to God, can never stand. Clearly, then, such utterances are not suited to us, and therefore the whole argument founded upon divine inspiration falls to the ground. We believe in the divine inspiration of every line of the Psalms; but that no more proves them the suited utterance of the Church of God now, than the divine inspiration of Exod. 20 proves that we are under the law. It is not that the Church cannot adopt some of the expressions in the Psalm Assuredly she can; but what we maintain is that, as a whole, they are not for the Church’s worship; and, further, that it would be doing positive violence to dispensational integrity to confine the Church thereto. Only ask yourself this question, What must be the condition of a soul who, in the utterance of its worship, never once breathes the name of Jesus, never gives forth the cry of “Abba?” And yet neither of these precious words is to be found throughout the entire Book of Psalm
Many other reasons might be adduced in connection with this deeply interesting subject, but we forbear, and rest satisfied with commending what has been said to your prayerful consideration, and you, dear friend, to God’s own teaching and blessing.
Affectionately yours, C. Η. M.