We live in a day when almost everything is being shaken. Things social, ecclesiastical, commercial, and political are being so convulsed, that men seem ready to doubt everything, and to have no certainty about anything. The changes, too, are often so sudden and unexpected, that people are fearing as to what may come next. God’s revelation of His own mind in the scriptures is so questioned, and so many attempts made to undermine its eternal beauty and authority, that it behooves every child of God to be acquainted with its real authenticity, to save him from being indifferent, if not carried away in the vortex of the various and insidious attacks of unbelieving people.
To the spiritual reader of the scriptures, they increasingly bear to his mind the stamp of divine inspiration. He sees that every part of it forms a portion of a great whole. Though many instruments were employed in writing them, they carry with them the evidence of being under the direction of One almighty, all-wise, omniscient mind. Like the component parts of a powerful machine, the smallest part seems necessary to the whole. We could not give up any portion of the scriptures without serious loss, and confusion; for the great testimony of all the inspired writings is Christ. It was a deep scheme of the adversary to suggest misgiving as to the divine authorship of the books of Moses. To many it might appear a very small matter, because we should have so much scripture left that is unquestionable. This, however, is not really the case. Our Lord not only said that Moses wrote of Him, but so vital and fundamental in doctrine were his books, that He further said, “If ye believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will ye be persuaded though one rose from the dead;” and again, “If ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46, 4746For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46‑47); Luke 16:3131And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (Luke 16:31).) Besides, the books of Moses were so abundantly quoted by ancient prophets, and by the apostles, that the refusal of their authority is really to cast a doubt on almost every other book of scripture, and therefore to undermine the faith of the gospel. It is generally admitted that the ninetieth Psalm was written by Moses.
The Psalms bear abundant testimony to their divine authorship. Our Lord, in His ministry, often quoted from the Psalms. On one occasion He put the Pharisees to silence by pressing on them a part of Psalm ex. Again, when He entered into Jerusalem as king, when all the city was moved, and the children cried out, “Hosannah to the Son of David!” He met the angry scribes and chief priests, in justification of it, by a quotation from Psalm 8. And, further, when He took farewell of impenitent Jerusalem and its temple, He quoted from Psalm 118, to show that when the people are really in a state to receive Him, they will say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (See Matt. 22:44; 21:16; 23:3944The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? (Matthew 22:44)
16And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matthew 21:16)
39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:39).) His bitter cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” when in deepest agony on the cross, is found in Psalm 22.
It is remarkable, too, that our Lord, after His resurrection, again authenticated the Psalms as part of the scriptures. When He demonstrated to the affrighted disciples the reality of His being Man, though risen from among the dead, by eating food before them, He referred to the Psalms, and the other divisions of the Old Testament, as authoritative, and as testifying of Himself. “He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.” (Luke 24:4444And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44).)
We find the apostles also constantly referring to the Psalms, both in their oral ministry, and in their inspired writings. In Peter’s memorable sermon on the day of Pentecost, he quoted largely from the Psalms. He reminded them of the prophecy of David in Psalm 16, when he insisted on the reality of our Lord’s resurrection from among the dead. After quoting from this psalm, he says, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne (Psalm 132:1111The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. (Psalm 132:11)); he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell [hades], neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up,” &c. (Acts 2:25-3225For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:25‑32).) And more than this; for when he proceeded to speak of our Lord’s exaltation to the right hand of God, he referred to Psalm 110 as having predicted it. He said, “For David is not yet ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, Jehovah said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:34-3634For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:34‑36).)
Again, when the saints were troubled at the persecuting power of their adversaries, and deeply felt their own helplessness, we find them, with one accord, bowing before the Lord in prayer, telling out to Him what was written in Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25, 2625Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. (Acts 4:25‑26).)
When Paul also delivered his comprehensive and well-known discourse at Antioch, he referred to the Psalms. And it is important here to observe, that when he quotes from Psalm 2, he mentions it as the second, thus showing that the psalm which we now know as Psalm 2 was accredited as such in the earliest days of the church. Paul quotes from it to show that Jesus, the Savior and Messiah, was the Son of God. He also refers to Psalm 16 to show that Christ who died saw no corruption, but was raised again by God from the dead.
Moreover, the inspired epistles abound in quotations from the Psalms. When Paul, the apostle, writes on the thorough ruin of man, as living in sin and rebellion against God, he goes largely to the Psalms for scripture testimony on the point. And, after so doing, he adds, that “we know that whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them,” &c, showing that he regarded the Psalms as part of the law. When the question of a sinner’s being reckoned righteous was the subject, he appealed to the Psalms as authoritative on this fundamental doctrine. Referring to David—a man who lived under law—as an example of being accounted righteous on the same principle as one before law and after law, he quotes from Psalm 32 He says, “Even as David describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Rom. 4:6-86Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (Romans 4:6‑8).) In other epistles also the apostle Paul quotes from the Psalms.
We find Peter, too, referring to Psalm 118, when writing on the rejection of Christ, as the Stone which the builders refused being made the head stone of the corner; and also from Psalm 34, to show that the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears open to their prayer.
Enough evidence, we trust, has been adduced, to show how abundantly the Psalms have been authenticated by our Lord and His apostles.