PSALMS 3 THROUGH 7—A MIXTURE
But after this clear word, there are Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. What about these Psalms? Are they good or bad? It is rather difficult to say. They are a mixture—some parts are good, and some parts are poor. By reading these five Psalms—3, 4, 5, 6 and 7—you may obtain their main concept: the saints, based upon their concept of the law and trusting in God’s righteousness, ask God to judge their adversaries on the earth. Is this good or not? I feel that if we have all become clear concerning Psalm 2, we do not need these five Psalms. Immediately after Psalm 2, we may sing, “Victory, victory, hallelujah!” There is no need for us to plead with God, “O God, you are so righteous; O God, how many enemies I have on this earth! O God, you must do something for me!” This is Psalms 3 through 7. After the decisive and glorious declaration of Psalm 2, certainly such pitiful pleas are not necessary. But we are guilty of the same thing. Sometimes after we hear a message which is strong and clear, we still persist in crying, “O Lord, O Lord, how terrible is the enemy; he is after me day and night; O Lord, help me!” This is the story of these five Psalms. Following Psalm 2, a poor situation still prevails among the seeking saints.
But listen, even in this low level, in this poor situation, the saints still realize that there is something in the house of God, that God has heard their cry and answered their prayer from the hill of His holiness. What is the hill of His holiness? It is the very place of God’s house. Sometimes, although we may be begging God to be merciful to us in this matter and in that, yet we realize at the same time how good it is to be in the local church. We still enjoy the house of God, the local church. So the saints said, “I cry unto the Lord with my voice, and he answereth me out of the hill of his holiness” (Psa. 3:4). And again, “But as for me, I will enter thy house in the abundance of thy lovingkindness: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Psa. 5:7). They were not so clear, but still they enjoyed the house of God.
Therefore, Psalms 3 to 7 are not too bad, but still they are not so good. When we go on from Book I of the Psalms to Book II, we will see the improvement. Then from Book II to Book III, we will see still more improvement. From Book III to Book IV there is even further improvement. And from Book IV to Book V, the situation among the saints is improved to the uttermost. When we reach the last book of the Psalms, the begging is over. There is only praising—hallelujah, hallelujah! Do not be offended by my remarks concerning the opening Psalms. Be patient and read till the end of the book—you will see the issue. I beg you, please hold your judgment until the end.
After Psalm 2 we still have these five, we may say, mixed Psalms—not so clear, not so good, yet still containing something of the enjoyment of God’s house.
PSALM 8—CHRIST IN THE PRAISE OF EXCELLENCY
Praise the Lord that after Psalms 3 to 7 we come to Psalm 8! “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” What a difference is this! “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (not the giants, but the babes, the sucklings, the little ones) hast thou established praise.” No begging, no prayer, no supplication, just praise. The little ones, the sucklings, can praise, and this praise silences the enemy. In all the foregoing Psalms we read, “O God, O God, many are they that rise up against me! My enemies, my enemies, O Lord, O God!” But when we come to Psalm 8, it is marvelous! The praises out of the babes, out of the sucklings, shut the enemy’s mouth. There is no need for us to beg; there is no need for us to cry and to ask; we only need to praise. Our praises will silence the enemy. Do not say, “Oh, oh, how many enemies there are!” Don’t be so foolish. To do so is just as foolish as remaining in a dark room when you have electricity in an electrical light. You would not say, “O God, how dark is this place! O God, be merciful to me, I am in darkness!” You would simply switch on the light! God is in you. Don’t you have Him? Don’t cry, don’t beg, don’t be so pitiful. Shout hallelujah and turn on the “electricity”! To cry and to beg is Psalms 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. To shout hallelujah and turn on the Lord is Psalm 8. “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise…that thou mightest still the enemy.” Hallelujah!
But you must realize that this praise is related to Christ. If there is no electricity in the room, regardless of how much you shout hallelujah, regardless of how much time you spend flicking the switch, it will not work; the room will still be dark, still void of light. Your hallelujahs are based on the electricity; our praises are based upon Christ. If there were no Christ in the universe, we would really have cause to weep. We could not praise, and even if we did, it would not work. But, praise the Lord, we do have Christ! Hallelujah, we do have Christ! And what a Christ! The Christ in this Psalm is unspeakable and full of glory. In Psalm 8 we have the incarnation of Christ, the ascension of Christ, the enthronement of Christ, the Lordship, the Headship, and the Kingdom of Christ. In addition to all this, we also have the Body of Christ! Since Christ is such a Christ, we really need to praise. Because Christ is such a Christ, our praise really works!
(Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)
