The sequential reading of the macrostructure of the Psalter pioneered by Gerald Wilson produced a seachange in Psalms scholarship, however, his non-messianic reading of the Psalter continues to evoke controversy and attract criticism. In this article I attempt to answer Wilson’s critics who find fault with his reading of the Psalter on the basis of the presence of Psalms 110 and 132 in Book v, psalms that are usually classified as ‘royal’ and seen as promoting a strongly messianic hope. After a review of Wilson’s arguments, I analyse the immediate context, the key words and the theocratic focus of Psalms 110 and 132. These features provide support for Wilson’s thesis that ‘David’ in Book v is no messianic cipher, but an exemplary model of loyal devotion to God’s kingship. This viewpoint in no way undermines a Christian reading of the Psalter, with the Book of Psalms read as pointing forward to the God-man, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate model of human devotion to God, the apocalyptic Son of Man, and the Divine King come to save his people.
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G. H. Wilson, ‘Shaping the Psalter: A Consideration of Editorial Linkage in the Book of Psalms,’ in The Shape and Shaping of the Psalter (JSOTSup 159; ed. J. Clinton McCann; Sheffield, 1993), pp. 72-82.
Barry C. Davis, ‘Is Psalm 110 a Messianic Psalm?,’ BibSac 157 (2000), pp. 160-173 (p. 168). According to Kim, Ps. 110 is located at the end of the larger group of Pss. 90-110 (‘Strategic Arrangement,’ p. 155).
E.g. Craig A. Evans, ‘Praise and Prophecy in the Psalter and the New Testament,’ in The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception, pp. 551-579 (p. 564).
See Gregory Goswell, ‘Where is David in the Book of Daniel?,’ ResQ 56 (2014), pp. 209-221.
As noted by Wilson, ‘King, Messiah, and the Reign of God,’ p. 399.
As noted by Philip E. Satterthwaite, ‘Zion in the Songs of Ascent,’ in Zion, City of Our God (eds. R. S. Hess and G. J. Wenham; Grand Rapids, 1999), pp. 127-128 and K. Seybold, ‘Die Redaktion der Wallfahrtspsalmen,’ zaw 91 (1979), pp. 247-268.
As noted by Gary N. Knoppers, ‘David’s Relation to Moses: The Contexts, Content and Conditions of the Davidic Promises,’ in King and Messiah in Israel and the Ancient Near East: Proceedings of the Oxford Old Testament Seminar (ed. John Day; JSOTSup 270; Sheffield, 1998), pp. 91-118 (p. 108); also A. Laato, ‘Psalm 132 and the Development of the Jerusalem/Israelite Royal Ideology,’ cbq 54 (1992), pp. 49-66; Egbert Ballhorn, ‘Der Davidbund in Ps 132 und im Kontext des Psalters,’ in Für immer verbündet: Studien zur Bundestheologie der Bibel (eds. Christoph Dohmen and Christian Frevel; Stuttgarter Bibelstudien 211; Stuttgart, 2007), pp. 11-18.
See J. J. M. Roberts, ‘The Meaning of צָמַח ה׳ in Isaiah 4.2,’ in Haim M. I. Gevaryahu Memorial Volume (ed. J. J. Adler; Jerusalem, 1990), pp. 110-118.
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The sequential reading of the macrostructure of the Psalter pioneered by Gerald Wilson produced a seachange in Psalms scholarship, however, his non-messianic reading of the Psalter continues to evoke controversy and attract criticism. In this article I attempt to answer Wilson’s critics who find fault with his reading of the Psalter on the basis of the presence of Psalms 110 and 132 in Book v, psalms that are usually classified as ‘royal’ and seen as promoting a strongly messianic hope. After a review of Wilson’s arguments, I analyse the immediate context, the key words and the theocratic focus of Psalms 110 and 132. These features provide support for Wilson’s thesis that ‘David’ in Book v is no messianic cipher, but an exemplary model of loyal devotion to God’s kingship. This viewpoint in no way undermines a Christian reading of the Psalter, with the Book of Psalms read as pointing forward to the God-man, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate model of human devotion to God, the apocalyptic Son of Man, and the Divine King come to save his people.
All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 882 | 121 | 18 |
Full Text Views | 209 | 9 | 2 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 105 | 19 | 11 |