In most of the psalms, the psalmist is giving us his experience, because he is anxious to praise God. He is also anxious to help others. That is the whole purpose of sharing a personal experience—not to call attention to oneself but to call attention to the Lord who is the giver of all and who alone is worthy to be praised. As we look at the experience of this man, we can learn many lessons from him. He is teaching us here how to face the battle of life and of living.
That is the great value of the book of Psalms. They are always so practical because they are experimental or experiential. They have this additional value: Each psalmist is not a man writing theoretically about life. It is generally someone who, having passed through some experience that tried and tested him, has again discovered the way of success and of triumph. So he wants to celebrate that and to pass on the information to others. And another great value, of course, of the psalms is that they are always so honest. The psalmist does not pretend he is better than he is. He opens his heart; he exposes himself to us, as it were, exactly as he is. He tells us about his fears and his forebodings; he never conceals any of his own weaknesses. So we feel that he speaks to our condition.
Lloyd-Jones, D. M., & Catherwood, Seeking the face of God: Nine Reflections on the Psalms
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment