Video Transcript: Royal Psalms

We've been looking at the Psalms and understanding the variety of different kinds of psalms  that are present in the whole collection of the Psalter. Today, we're going to take a look  particularly at the Royal Psalms, remember, again, that there are at least eight different kinds  of Psalms. And different scholars have different ideas about whether there are 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.  Some of these can be considered part of different collections. And some collections actually  indicate that we might have others to look at as well. So take a look at each of these that are  possible the different types of Psalms, and today we're going to focus on those that  particularly show what happens in terms of Yahweh has relationship with Israel, and especially after the time that David was anointed as king, with the unique covenant authority that he  and his descendants forever would be on the throne of Israel. Now, of course, that didn't  happen in history, because David eventually died and all of his descendants, some of them  sat on the throne. But then there came a time when kings were no longer allowed in Israel,  because of the fact that other nations were in control Babylon or Persia, or Greece or Rome.  And that's where the uniqueness of the Royal Psalms comes in. Because there's an  understanding that God will always have someone from the family of David, give leadership to God's people. How was that possible? This becomes one of the key themes of the New  Testament, where Jesus is understood to be a son of David, in the royal family. And he, of  course, having gone through death and raised to life again, lives forever, and is ruling as King  of kings and Lord of lords forever and ever and ever. And that allows the themes of the Psalms related to both God's rule in Israel, and God's eternal rule through a son of David, in the  family of faith, that is the New Testament Church as well, to continue to be expressed forever  and ever and ever. Now, there aren't as many of these royal Psalms as there are of some of  the other kinds of collections in the Psalter. These are songs of praise about Yahweh who is  true king of Israel, but also about the monarch in the family of David who rules on Yahweh as  behalf among the people. And those stories are told in first and second Samuel were the  people of Israel, after the days of the judges felt as if they were not able to find direction for  day to day activities, particularly with regard to the pressures from other nations, and wanted  to have a king that they could see. And remember that in this requesting and feedback  through the prophet, Samuel. At first, there was a lot of divine and certainly Samuels own  pushback to the idea. But eventually God said this is exactly what the people need, and this  will work out to our mutual benefit. Saul was the first king and Saul's reign started out well,  but then it ended in kind of a variety of mishaps. David was then anointed and later on David  was affirmed as the king after God's own heart. And he was given the go ahead to initiate the  process for the building of the temple, and a promise that his descendants would rule forever  on the throne. Some of the psalms that are royal Psalms, Psalm two is a perfect example of it.  Notice the political overtones of this psalm. The psalm reads as this, Why do the nations  conspire and the peoples plot in vain the kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band  together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles. The one enthroned in heaven laughs The Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes  them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying I have installed My King on Zion My  holy mountain I will proclaim the Lord's decree he said to me, You are my son today I will  become your father asked me and I will make the nation's your inheritance the ends of the  earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron you will dash them in pieces like  Pottery. Therefore you kings, Be wise be warned you rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with  fear and celebrate his rule with trembling kiss his son or he will be angry, and your way will  lead you to destruction. For his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are those who take  refuge in Him. And notice these things about the psalm. Yahweh, the Creator, who is the  partner to Israel is understood as the father of the king on Israel's throne. That's a very  important concept. God is Lord over all nations. God has a special relationship with Israel. And God has a unique relationship with the King, who now rules visibly as the leader of the people. YAHWAH is the leader of the people. But the person who is on the throne in Jerusalem is the  visible expression of that, in this sense, the theocracy that Israel has as its its guiding mission  and mandate, and its political self understanding is affirmed. And its relationship with the  nations all around it is defined. Although Israel is only a small tribe, a small group among all  of the nations geographically, if you look at a map, you'll see that the land of Canaan or the 

land of Palestine is so small in comparison to the other nations around it, that it almost  disappears from the map. Still, it is considered by God to be the central and key figure in the  political fortunes of all the world. That's a very interesting concept. What happens to Israel  happens to God and what happens through Israel is for the benefit and blessings of the  nations who all belong to God. The psalm itself is built in a broad chiasm remember that  chiasm and we're going to look at chiasm more specifically so keep these things in mind.  Chiasm is the idea that elements of the statements in the various synonymous parallelism  near the beginning reoccur near the end, that there's a kind of parallelism of larger ideas  across the middle point of the poem, or the story, or the psalm, and that there's a reverse  order to them. So something that happens near the beginning happens near the end. And  next thing happens a second in the beginning and second to the end, the reverse order  between first and second halves. And so you have that here, where the first major section is  verses, one to three, describing the rebellion of the rulers of the earth, against the rightful  rule of Yahweh, who is the creator of all the Creator has an obligation to, and a responsibility  for all the nations of the earth. And that section is paralleled in the last verses of Psalm verses 10 through 12, at the end, in which these rebellious kings are urged to worship God, and to  honor God's earthly regent, the king on the throne of Israel. So you see, the challenge up  front, and the call to submission at the end. And then in between, those are two other parallel parts. The second major section is in verses four to six. And this describes Yahweh has plans  for the establishment of the kingship of Israel, regardless of what all the other nations are  planning to do, what they might seek to bring against it, what rebellions, they might foment  what project these projects they have against it. Yahweh is going to do what Yahweh is going  to do. And then the parallel section with that second to the end is in verses seven through  nine, in which the authority of the King of Jerusalem is affirmed and established. So God tells  us what God is going to do in that second section. And in the third section, God does what  God intended to do. So the point of the Psalm is to avert affirm the validity of the king who  rules on the throne of David, the king in Jerusalem. This king is intended to be God's ruler, not just for Israel, but for all the nations of the earth. Thus, Israel in this larger theological  framework is God's earthly partner in the divine mission to reclaim and to bless all the nations of the earth. And the Davidic King who's on the throne is divinely appointed to serve those  ends. This is the theological purpose behind the political plans and activities of the nation.  And that's why the New Testament apostles understood this psalm they use it in Acts 4 when  they were being persecuted locally in Jerusalem. They saw this psalm as foretelling Jesus is  the last and greatest Son of David, to rule over the nations. So all of these things come  together they make sense within the Old Testament context, but they also make sense within  the New Testament context as Jesus fulfills the things that are left unfulfilled in time and  earthly history. Another example of a royal psalm, Psalm 24, the earth is the Lord's and  everything in the world and all who live in it for you found it upon the seas and established it  under waters, who may ascend to the mountain of the Lord who may stand in his holy place.  Here we have some things again, similar to Psalm 15, the notice how the song ends, lift up  your heads, though you gates and lift them you ancient doors, that the King of glory may  come in, who is he this King of glory, the Lord Almighty, He is the King of glory. A very  interesting thing, again, synonymous parallelism throughout the Psalms, something you ought to pay attention to, as you read the Psalms. These ideas constantly reiterate and reaffirm the  key ideas in each meaning context. And notice there's a psalm begins with an affirmation  about the global, universal rule of God, but then it moves on to the royal procession,  ascending the throne in Jerusalem. See how those things are tied together. God is ruler over  all the nations. Here comes the king to Jerusalem, wham, the two are tied together. So the  psalm deliberately leaves vague the location of the ultimate throne is at the Ark of the  Covenant at the temple, which is considered to be the throne of God on earth among Israel, or is it the throne of David in the human Palace right next door? The answer doesn't need to be  given for these two thrones are essentially one and the same. God, the King of heaven and  Lord of the Earth, is represented by the divinely appointed Son of David on Israel's national  throne. The mission of God is to bless all nations. And it happens in a very real way through  the success of the Davidic King on the throne. So the psalm praises the ruler of Israel, who is 

the ruler, God and the king, both together. Another fascinating royal Psalm is Psalm 110. The  Lord says to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet,  the Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion Singh rule. In the midst of your enemies,  your troops will be willing on your day of battle, arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you and take from the morning's womb, the Lord has sworn and will not change his  mind you are priests forever in the order of Melchizedek, the Lord is at your right hand, he will crush the kings in the day of wrath, he will judge the nation sweeping up the dead, and  crushing the rulers of the whole earth, He will drink from a Brook along the way. And so he will lift his head high, a bit of a strange Psalm in a number of ways, but it is a Psalm of David. And  it celebrates an authority which lies outside of and above the Levitical priesthood. Now, the  Levites, and the priests who are part of the Levites were seen to be the central characters in  Israel's leadership. Levi was the tribe of Moses and Aaron. And so the priests and the Levites  emerge from the tribe of Levi or become the caretakers of the leadership of the people. Still,  what happens with David who's from the tribe of Judah is that his authority is derived, not  from the usual system, which shows the leadership mandate originally come through Moses  at Mount Sinai. Here, there's a sense in which God has a separate, larger leadership mandate, which emerges through a different channel. And the greater authority is based on the person  and idea of Melchizedek Melchizedek hardly appears in the Bible. He's only a footnote in the  Old Testament couple of verses in Genesis 14, where Abraham has rescued his nephew Lot  and has defeated the kings who came up against them and on the way back home, Moses, or  rather, Abraham stops to offer a sacrifice of thanks. And king of Salem is a priest of the Most  High God, his name is Melchizedek King of Righteousness. And he's the one that allows or in  lists or helps Abraham to do these things. So here's Abraham and the entire system of Israel,  including the Levites who emerge from his descendants, using an outside system to bring  sacrifice to God. So in essence through Abraham, Israel offer sacrifices to God through the  ministry of Melchizedek. So there's a greater authority, this theme of the greater authority is  picked up by this Psalm. And then again in Hebrews eight through 10, in the New Testament  to explain the unique authority of Jesus as the high priest and divine ruler, who has an  authority outside of the Levitical priesthood system, very interesting things to think about as  we look at the Royal Psalms. The Psalms all together assert the link between God's rule over  the whole world and the unique role that King the king of Israel plays in God's mission through the nation itself. God rules but God's reign is exerted through Israel's King, and Israel's place  among the nation. So the king of Israel is the representative for God among the nations. Thus  the King must live a righteous life reflecting God's own character, and the righteousness of  the people is a reflection of their relationship following the righteous rule of the King. God  wishes to connect with all the nations of the earth. God does so through Israel, Israel is on a  divine mission, and that divine mission is led by the king on the throne of David. Jesus, of  course, will pick up that role once the New Testament comes