New Covenant Hermeneutics: Psalm 16

Peter's sermon in Acts 2 provides yet another example of Old Testament writings that must be read in light of New Testament revelation. Psalm 16 is written by David. It is a prayer and a reflection on the goodness of God, to rejoice in the knowledge of Him, and the hope believers have even in the face of death. Read on its own, it is profound and moving.

But the apostle Peter adds another dimension. David is the prophet and party to what we often refer to as the Davidic Covenant – the promise made by God that his heirs would inhabit his throne of Israel forever.

Peter reveals that as David speaks, through his voice we hear the words and sentiments of the Davidic heir, the Davidic King – the true Prophet-King that rules the True Israel which is an eternal Kingdom.

It is veritably David's voice but David (knowingly or not) is speaking of Christ and yet in his own voice. Peter says as much. He says that David is speaking of Christ and yet in the Psalm David is speaking in the first person.

This alone is something to ponder, this dynamic brought into play by the Holy Spirit. And for those who understand it, you see it everywhere, in the Psalms and certainly throughout the prophets. It defies systematization and the hyper-literalistic hermeneutic promoted by the Dispensational school.

We can read these writings as they are but as Christians we read them with and through the lens of Christ. And in doing so they come alive. There is a whole new dimension to what is being said and we discover typological and eschatological fulfillments. If we don't see these things, then we're not reading the Psalms (or any of the Old Testament for that matter) faithfully. We're not following the example of the apostles. We're not reading the Old Testament as Christians.

And while it is sad to admit, it must be said that few Christians read the Old Testament faithfully. Few teachers grasp this and the myriad of false and erroneous systems and their permutations which continue to prevail testify to this. Interactions with Old Testament are often haphazard, self-serving, and rarely in proper consideration of context. And while some pay lip service to Christ's presence in the Old Testament, few seem willing to follow through on the hermeneutical examples established by the apostles. For in doing so the systems which have dominated much of Church history and certainly the theological models which are popular in our own day will quickly crumble.

And thus David's hope in deliverance from Sheol was in fact anticipatory of Christ's resurrection. The hermeneutics of the academy won't acknowledge this. They'll write papers on Peter's use of Psalm 16 but to suggest Psalm 16 is actually about Christ and anticipates Him is – out of bounds, to say the least. That would mean prophecy is real and that the Scriptures were forged by the God, a point the academy and scholarship cannot readily concede – a point Evangelical scholars dance around. It's a fine thing to say from the pulpit but including it in a 'scholarly' work would mean being blacklisted and so in order to maintain their 'influence' they avoid strong and faithful assertions.

Further there is an interesting symbol to reflect on in the cup imagery. The cup overflowing (an image seen in other Psalms) can be contrasted with the offerings and libations of the pagans. The cup can be a means of blessing as 1 Corinthians indicates with regard to the Lord's Supper. But it can also be a symbol of God's wrath and judgment as Christ anticipates in Gethsemane.

For Christ Himself the cup of wrath though it caused Him as the Son of Adam to sweat drops of blood was nevertheless a cup of joy. This too is a mystery and a wonder. How often we hear of how it must have pained the father to inflict sufferings on Christ or the horror and pain of what He endured.

We forget that he endured these things for the joy that was set before him. The cup of wrath would become a blessing. This is God's wisdom turning the world's logic and intuition on its proverbial head.

And while I have often heard of the Father's sorrow in punishing Christ, we must also remember that it pleased the Father to bruise Him – a strange allusion (it would seem) to Genesis 3 in which the serpent is destined to bruise the Seed of the Woman – the Second Adam and Son of Abraham and David, our Lord Christ.

What can we conclude? That somehow even the actions of the enemy are part of God's plan. And we had best leave it there. At this point many probe well beyond what the Scriptures say and get themselves into trouble by the overapplication of logic (an insufficient tool in this case) or for the sake of coherence they end up minimising and downplaying the full orb of what the Scriptures reveal regarding this matter.

Further mysteries can be contemplated in the dynamics at work.

We find the voice of David and the voice of Christ praying to Jehovah and yet Jesus is also revealed to be Jehovah. It is fascinating and impenetrable.

And there is also the anticipation of Christ's enthronement spoken of by Peter in Acts 2 – the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. Christ is at the right-hand of the Father. The Son can never be over the Father but has been elevated to that position of co-rule. And as the New Testament reveals we in union with Christ inhabit that position as well. Further, there is the wonder in considering the fact that the Second Person of the Trinity is now permanently incarnate, the Second Adam, the True David has been raised to that position. The implications of this are staggering.

It is convicting to realise just how little we meditate on these things and give ourselves to them. And that if we truly did focus on these things, how much our lives would change.