Heads of Psalms: Book 1

In the first place we get, in Psa. 1, the righteous man; and, in Psa. 2, the counsels of God as to Messiah. Then, in general, Psa. 3-7, the sufferings of Christ in the remnant, whether from enemies or from a sense of their own state; and in result, VIII., the Son of Man set over all the works of God's hands.
In 9 and 10, we get particulars of God's executing judgment against the heathen in Zion, in favor of the needy; and, in particular, the ways of the wicked one.
In 11-15, the sentiments and spirit of the remnant,-the moral movements of their heart in this time of trial.
16, The place Christ Himself takes in His dependance, in trusting in the time of humiliation; • ending in His joy in God's presence in resurrection. XVII, His appeal to right, which ends in His being displayed in glory, as man of course; a lower kind of thing, but still a part of His glory,
In 18, the sufferings of Christ are made the center of all God's ways in Israel, from Egypt to the manifestation of the glory of Messiah.
19. The testimony of creation and of the law; according to the letter of which the remnant presents itself in conscience before God.
In 20, the remnant prophetically sees Christ in His day of trouble, and in His sufferings from man,-in which God hears Him in order to His establishment in His royal rights. 21. He is answered with length of days forever and ever, and excellent majesty; and judges His enemies. 22. He is in sorrow, in which no remnant can enter; in which, through all the concentration of evil from without, He finds the forsaking of God within, instead of answer to His confidence: but, when He had drank the whole cup, He was answered in resurrection, and all flows forth in unmingled blessing; first, to the remnant, immediately consequent on His resurrection saluted as " brethren," with whom He unites Himself in spirit, as He says, " In the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee;" then, to all Israel; then, to all the ends of the world: the testimony of that which is done going down to other generations.
23. He takes the place of the sheep on earth. 24. He is saluted as "Jehovah of Hosts," and "King of Glory."
25-28. In general, the exercises of the renewed love (in the remnant always), in confidence in the Lord; consciousness of integrity through grace; consciousness of sin; and earnest desire not to be drawn away with the wicked,-counting on the Lord's having called them to seek His face.
29. God's voice (not the still small voice) the answer to it all. 30 and 31. Enjoyment in the sense of this interference of God (still through in the trouble). 32. Forgiveness and guidance (still in the remnant). 33. Creation and the counsels of God in favor of His people give confidence. 34. What God has been for Messiah in His sufferings gives confidence. 34-39. We find them in the presence of the power and prosperity of the wicked, with the sense of having deserved judgments and having been under chastening, though their cry is to the Lord who chastened them.
40. Christ undertaking the accomplishment of the divine will in perfect obedience; His perfectness shown in waiting, etc. 41. In this last psalm of the book, all the humiliation and bitterness to which He exposed Himself in the accomplishment of it; but in which He is assured to be set before God's face forever.
There is a very distinct principle brought out in the Psalms, that while in connection with the Jews, yet the nation is not the thing owned. The distinction is made by moral character, and not by nation. It is a certain elect remnant in the midst of the mass that is owned, of whom Christ becomes the representative.
As a general principle, it looks for the government of God, and that that government will sanction and establish the righteous in contrast with the ungodly. Another principle comes up, the counsels of God as to His anointed, in spite of the heathen, who rise up against them. As soon, however, as we get these principles laid down, we find that, outwardly, it is not happening so at all. Hence the discussion of this question.
3. Faith in what God is. 7. He sees prophetically that He has done it; therefore He gives praise.
4. Dependance in calling on God. 3. The godly marked out, not the nation.
5 and 6. A great deal more the remnant. In 5, there is more sense of the evil that is pressing on them. 9. Christ's judgment of the then condition of the wicked. It goes on to the last days. 6. Quite in the latter day in Israel; it is a question of cutting off. 3. "How long!" the spirit of prophecy in the remnant, See Isa. 6 The cessation of this indicated in 84, there being no one who knew "How long." They were in circumstances like as if cast off forever; and faith knows that it cannot be so, so says "How long!" 4. In the psalms in which the remnant speaks, mercy comes before righteousness. In Psa. 4, where it is more the Lord Himself, righteousness comes before mercy.
In 3-7 it is much more introductory, and certain general principles. It is Messiah who first speaks, because He has first fully taken, nay, He alone could rightly take apart the place of the remnant, as apart from, and in contrast with, the people. Others had felt it - as having His Spirit, and, as prophets, had portrayed it in Him but He alone could rightly take it by intrinsic righteousness. Yet, in Him, it was as forced to it; that is, this righteousness forced out the wickedness in the others, and He wept over Jerusalem when it was done; but then He entered into all that concerned Israel, according to the purpose, love, and revelation of God. The psalms are the perfect display of all that a divinely perfect heart in the circumstances could feel of, and as to, the relationships of God with Israel, and of Israel with God.
10. The creation testimony is used, as a figure of that now given by the gospel, inasmuch as it is universal. The testimony had been given of God, whether man saw it or not (see Rom. 1) They did not see it as we find. 12, 13. Kept in detail, and so kept from the great apostasy.
9. Is more the heathen, man; 10, more the wicked one.
11-41. The development of faith in Christ, or the remnant as associated during the time of tribulation; but before the last. half week. Therefore 3-10 come in as a kind of general preface. 11:2. Not "privily" in last half week. 4., is the answer to ver. 3.
XII. The holy wisdom of owning Jehovah. 6. The words of the Lord a stay, when every one speaks vanity with his neighbor. 7. The second "them" should be him.
Christ comes in to give its full character to hope and faith. This psalm is like a stake in the midst of all these psalms. The moment we get Christ, we get the spirit of calmness and grace.
Specially Christ in the beginning. 11, The remnant comes in.
In 16, we have Christ's own joy in God; Jehovah shows him the path of life, and at His right hand are pleasures forever more, 17. In presence of the wicked and the prosperity of the men of this world, He beholds God's face in righteousness, and is satisfied in waking up after His image. Most interesting is it to find, that we have put, as analogous in the Church - the taking up for its own joy, and the display in glory as the reward of righteousness.
4, 5, 6. Evidently the death of Christ, The words may have an application, used hyperbolically, to Israel in Egypt. 15. The Red Sea.
21. Human enemies, and judgment..
22. Divine wrath, and perfect grace. 12. Bulls, i.e., violent men, who do their own will. 16. Dogs, i.e., shameless ones. 21. The lion's mouth, i.e., Satan's power over death. 22. The congregation, i.e., the remnant, which afterward became the Church; only here looked at as the remnant of Israel. 25. "The great congregation," as in Solomon's day. 30. The remnant who pass through the trouble. 31. The millennial people.
23, Thesis:-The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. Not:-He has given me good things, and I shall not want; but the Lord is my Shepherd, etc. 3. The weakness of man, which needed restoring. [We need restoring, because of sin as well as weakness],
24:3 and 4. "Who?" 7-10. The King of Glory. 6. The remnant coming in when the earth is the Lord's.
25. Important as shewing that the remnant do not ignore sin, but look from it to God.
26:2, Examine me, O Lord, etc, a For Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes.
27:1-6. Thesis. 7 onward, prayer founded on it.
29. In the midst of all these exercises of the heart of the remnant, God comes in. The voice of the Lord comes in, and puts everything in its place, In the psalms that follow, they have more to do with God„ they are more occupied with the Lord Himself, than with the circumstances.
30. Is more God's anger, so confession; 31, is the enemies, so insisting on integrity. We constantly find these two things.
32. "Be glad," not in the forgiveness, but, "in the Lord," etc.
34. A call to the remnant to bless the Lord in their worst sorrows, " at all times," not when they get the blessing but now.
35. Christ's spirit, in its perfectness, supplying a vent for their feelings in their weakness.
36. The wickedness is such as that there is no conscience in the adversary. 5. The answer - God is above it all.
37:34. " Wait on the Lord, and keep His way." The whole secret of what we have to do.
38. An important principle in this psalm-the difficulty of looking to the Lord for deliverance from the wicked, when sin is on the conscience. Nevertheless, God is the refuge from the enemy. It is beautiful to see this integrity of heart, when he has not a word to say for himself.
39. This leaning on the Lord, with faults, breakings down, and everything, is very beautiful.
40. Beautiful-how, in the midst of all these exercises in the former psalms, waves of every kind-Christ is brought in; and He says, I will tell you how I got on. 17. In Matt. 5, Christ is just giving a description of Himself. And herein is the difference between Matthew and Luke. Matthew tells who enter; Luke says, Ye are the very ones. He gives them the place of the remnant. In this psalm Christ sets aside the Jewish figures, and lays the ground of righteousness Himself.
The second book begins not with Christ, but with the condition of the remnant; and never has more for its subject, the facts of the latter day, Israel being driven out. It is not going through all these states of soul, so as that Christ might be brought in. It is like the position, when Christ went out to a place called Ephraim (John 11:54). There was a kind of hoping for good, from the multitude before; but now He has done with the wicked, and come out. So now, it is not Jehovah, but God. He is cast more simply on God. fie is not trusting in the relationship, but on God, in the nature of Elohim.
42. More the Gentiles.
43:1. "Ungodly nation," more the Jews. "The deceitful and unjust man," Antichrist. The whole of this book is applicable to the period during which Antichrist has been received the last three and a-half years.