From a devotional for Wednesday, 5-6-2021

1. Seeing and savoring Jesus in Book 3 of the
Psalms (Ps 73 - 89)
Good morning. Thisweekwe will try(DeoValente)tolookatJesusinthe book of Psalms,givingashort
and very incompleteglimpse.
Book3 of the Psalmsiscalledby some,such as SinclairFerguson,“The DarkBookof the Psalms”.
We see a newgroupsingingasthese are title ‘of Asaph’whoMatthew referstoas ‘a prophet’. Psalm
73-82 will be ‘of Asaph’. A large amountof these Psalms dealswiththe fall of Jerusalem. TwoPsalms
will be ‘Sonsof Korah:onlyone (Psalms86) hasDavid’sname.
Section 1: Psalm 78 A man who has parables and who is a parable,
stands in the middle of a world being judged and His name is Jesus
The Psalms before and after Psalm 78 are laments about the fall and exile of
Jerusalem
Psalm 78 is an historical Psalmabout Israel and a figure who has parables and is
a parable and quotedin the gospels.
"Thatit mightbe fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,saying,I
will open my mouth in parables;I will utter things which havebeen
keptsecret from the foundation ofthe world." Matthew 13:35,quoting
Ps 78:2
It says a lot about Jesus to be in some senses front and center in a
prophecy of this nature even in the beginning of a long historic Psalm
about Israel. A psalm where they are told to incline their ear to and a
Psalm to pass on to their children.
Matthew says Psalm 78 is spoken by the prophet and this is a Psalm of
Asaph. There was a man called Asaph the seer in the time of David, there
were other Asaph’s and a guild of musicians under Asaph and it’s
uncertain who these Psalms ‘of Asaph’ refer to except Matthew calls him a
prophet.
On one level the sayings, the parables are taken in the New Testament by the
inspiration of the Spirit to be Jesus teaching parables.
On another more immediate level, the parable is also the history being recounted.
In Psalm 78, the recounting of Israel’s history is uncomplimentary listing
unfaithfulness. Jesus telling parables is placed right at the start of this Psalm
about Israel.

2. In contrast, Jesus will recapitulate Israel’s history in his life, getting it right.
God’s Son called out of Egypt. In Matthew, like Adam and Eve Jesus is tested by
Satan only much harder in the desert and unlike Adam and Eve victorious, Jesus
will be faithful and sinless.
The people in the wilderness questioned that God could provide a table in the
wilderness and God provided, even providing manna. This point is quoted in the
gospel of John only now Jesus is the manna from heaven.
Our ancestorsate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave
them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it
is notMoses who hasgiven you the bread from heaven, butit is my Father
who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33
For the bread of God is the
bread thatcomes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John
6:31 quoting Ps 78:24.
Adam sinned. Moses didn’t enter the promised land because of
disobedience. David, a man after God’s own heart had his flaws,
Solomon’s divided heart left the kingdom split in two. It is Jesus
who we can really say “the government will be upon his shoulders”.
In Psalm 78:51 “He smote all the firstborn of Egypt.” Who would
have imagined that the worse of the plagues on Egypt, the death of
the firstborn son would come upon the Messiah who would be the
lamb of God taking away the sins of the world?
The Psalm ends with a reminder that God chose David. The reader would know that
God promised to David there would always by a man to rule on the throne, eventually
the Messiah. That man is Jesus.
Psalm 86 David’s one Psalm in Book 3
There are two points to observe regarding seeing Jesus in the Psalms in
Psalm 86, David’s only Psalm in the book (by title).
David refers to himself as a poor man. Most references to a poor man in
the book of Psalms represent Jesus and a good example will be Psalm 109.
“He who was rich became poor that we through his poverty could become
rich” 2 Cor 8:9
Psalm 86:16 is one of a couple Psalms where the writer refers to himself as
“your servant the son of your maid servant”, the other place being Psalm
116:16 and I wonder if Mary had these in mind as she told the angel she
was the Lord’s maidservant. As the ‘Son of God’, Jesus could say he is the
‘son of God’s maidservant’ but not the ‘son of God’s manservant’.

3. That was a lot. Ifyou want to read more on Psalms book 3 and how Jesusis seeninit, read on, or set
it aside and come back to it another time. Feel free tostop.
Section 2: The darkest of all Psalms and the priestly Psalms end with
the ultimate sacrifice of the Messiah
Book 2 and Book 3 are mostly written by Levitical Psalmist and
poetically represent Exodus and Leviticus poetically. It is fitting that
the final two Psalms might give a glimpse of the ultimate sacrifice, the
death of Jesus on a cross.
You havetaken from me my closest friends and have made me
repulsiveto them. I am confined and cannot escape; Ps 88.8 quoted
in Luke 23:19
Psalm 88 is the darkest lament in the Psalms and even ends with the
singer being led into darkness as follows.
You havecaused my beloved and my friend to shun me My
companionshave become darkness Ps 88:18

4. Historically prompted by the events of the fall of Jerusalem or the Exile
to Babylon but pointing to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
There will be an upturn but not in this Psalm, even victory, in the next Psalm.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
Psalm 89:10 quoted in Luke 1:51 by Mary in her praise responding
to Gabriel
Section 3: The sweetest hope in darkness
This book, despite being “the dark book of the Psalms, book 3” and the
immediate historical situationbeing anationin crisis starts withareminder
“Surely God is good to Israel” Ps 73:1
The center Psalmis consideredby Spurgeonwho wrote extensively onthe
Psalms as ‘the sweetest Psalm’, Psalm81 and consideredthe poetic center of
the book of Psalms by Sinclair Ferguson. Toparaphrase him, “I know what
you’re thinking – I’m not good at math. But this is the middle book of the five
and the center psalmof that book. The central verse being ‘if only my people
would listentomy words’. “
In the final Psalm89, there was no upturnof hope in Ps 88 but it does come in
Ps 89 as if some resurrectionis lookedto.
“I will sing of the mercies of the Lordforever”
Jesus says “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” and Hebrews
says Jesus is “The exact representation of God’s nature”. We see
God’s goodness reflected in Jesus. We see Jesus goodness reflected in
the Father’s goodness.
Section 4: Similar hope in similar crisis given by Jeremiah
Lamentation is like a literary picture of an emotional breakdown in five stanzas
moving from highly elaborate styleto rough and simple, with hope in the center.

5. Jeremiah looks with trauma over fallen Jerusalemand weeps the book of
Lamentations but the famous gleam of hope in the center.
The first stanza the most literarily elaborate and eloquently triple
acrostic
then like a person weeping and breaking down
The 2nd stanza less literarily elaborates still acrostic
The 3rdstanzaevenless literarily elaborates still acrostic, alook to
the character and work of God here in the center, Lamentations
3:22,23 ‘His mercies are newevery morning”, hope in the center
The 4th stanza even less literarily elaborates still acrostic
The 5th stanza rough, shorter, and not acrostic as if the person
speaking completely brokedown weeping in grief at the end.
It’s a comfort that there is hope fromGod in the midst of crisis.
The same writer, Jeremiah (technically using Baruch the scribe) has made this
point in his long prophesy book
The wise man, thestrong man, the rich man should not boast the
one who boast can boast in knowing me. I am the lord who
executes lovingkindnessand mercy every morning for I delight in
these thingsJer. 9:23-24
something to boastabout knowing, God does good here in this often-difficult
world.
Jer. 32:40 “I will make a new covenant and I will never turn from
doing you good and I will put my spirit in you, and you will never
turn from following me.”
Jer. 29:11 mightwhet out appetite for God having good plans for us, Jer. 32:40
says in the New Covenant, God will never cease fromdoing us good (John Piper’s
favoriteverse)