39

10. Theological Preliminary Considerations 10. Theological Preliminary Considerations The expositor of the Psalms can place himself on the standpoint of the poet, or the kndpoint of the Old Testament church, or the standpoint of the church of the present fcpensationa primary condition of exegetical progress is the keeping of these three fcndpoints distinct, and, in accordance there ith, the distinguishing !et een the t o Testaments, and in general, !et een the different steps in the de"elopment of the #"elation, and in the perception of the plan, of redemption. $or as redemption itself i has a progressi"e history, so has the re"elation and gro ing perception of it a progressi"e history also, hich extends from paradise, through time, on into eternity. %edemption reali&es itself in a system of facts, in hich the di"ine purpose of lo"e for tie deli"erance of sinful humanity unfolds itself, and the re"elation of sal"ation is gi"en ii ad"ance of this gradually de"eloping course of e"ents in order to guarantee its di"ine 'ithorship and as a means !y hich it may !e rightly understood. (n the Psalms e ( ha"e fi"e centuries and more of this progressi"e reali&ing, disclosing, and perception of fc"ation laid open !efore us. (f e add to this the fact that one psalm is !y )oses, and 'that*the retrospecti"e portions of the historical psalms refer !ack e"en to the patriarchal lage, then, from the call of +!raham do n to the restoration of (srael*s position among 'the nations after the ,xile, there is scarcely a single e"ent of importance in sacred -istory hich does not find some expression in the Psalter. +nd it is not merely facts pkternal to it, hich echo therein in lyric strains, !ut, !ecause .a"id,next to +!raham 'idou!tedly the most significant character of sacred history in the Old Testament,is ps chief composer, it is itself a direct integral part of the history of redemption. +nd it / 1 also a source of information for the history of the re"elation of redemption, in as ifauch as it flo ed not from the 0pirit of faith merely, !ut mainly also from the 0pirit of (frophecy1 !ut, pre2eminently, it is the most important memorial of the progressi"e 'cognition of the plan of sal"ation,2 since it sho s ho , !et een the gi"ing of the 3a pom 0inai and the proclamation of the 4ospel from 0ion, the final, great sal"ation a5 '6raided in the consciousness and life of the 7e ish church. ( 8e ill consider 19 the relation of the Psalms to the prophecy of the future Christ. 0pien man hom 4od had created, had corrupted himself !y sin, 4od did not lea"e (him to that doom of rath hich he had chosen for himself, !ut "isited him on the '"ening of that most unfortunate of all days, in order to make that doom the disciplinary 'tedium of -is lo"e. This "isitation of 7ah"e ,lohim as the first step in the history of %edemption to ards the goal of the incarnation, and the so2called prote"angelium as ( the first laying of the foundation of -is "er!al re"elation of la and gospela 'gelation in accordance ith the plan of sal"ation, and preparing the ay to ards this poal of the incarnation and the reco"ery of man. The ay of this sal"ation, hich opens :;P its o n historical course, and at the same time announces itself in a form adapted 1 to the human consciousness, runs all through (srael, and the Psalms sho us ho this ped2corn of ords and acts of di"ine lo"e has expanded ith a "ital energy in the /peiie"ing hearts of (srael. They !ear the impress of the period, during hich the 'P6paration of the ay of sal"ation as centred in (srael and the

hope of redemption :8as a national hope. $or after mankind as separated into different nations, sal"ation <ps c=nfined ithin the limits of a chosen nation, that it might mature there, and then 'fating its !ounds !ecome the property of the human race. +t that period the promise (t 2 e tare )ediator as in its third stage. The hope of o"ercoming the tendency in