UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

PSALM 46-50

SUGGESTED PATTERN Read Psalm 46-50 with your spouse or household  then re-read Psalm 46 again with spouse or household, then spend 2 mins in silence focussing on  Psalm 46:4 asking the Lord, the question “What does this text mean?” then 2 mins in silence asking the Lord what He is saying to you personally through Psalm 46: 4 and then share together with your spouse or household what the Lord has been saying. Finally one person reads out loud the devotional below. Then pray for one another.  

PSALM 46:4 “ There is a river who streams make glad the city of God, the Holy place where the most High dwells. God is within her she will not fall. God will help her at break of day.”

In what could be the best loved children’s book of the 20^th century, Winston Grahame in his book “The Wind in the Willows”(1), tells the story of how Ratty, the water rat, introduces Mole to the ‘River.’ “I beg your pardon said the mole pulling himself together with an effort, you must think me very rude but all this is so new to me so -this- is- a -River!?” “The River,” corrected the Rat. “And you really live by the river? What a jolly life” “By it and with it and on it and in it,” said the Rat. “It’s brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company and food and drink and (naturally) washing. It’s my world and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t got, is not worth having and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing.”

How does Psalm 46 speak of Christ? “ There is a river who streams make glad the city of God, the Holy place where the most High dwells.” Over the past couple of years, I have found Hans Boersma’s book, (2) “ Scripture as real presence”veryhelpful. Is Scripture real presence to you?!  Jesus had strong words to say to the Pharisees who idolized the Scriptures but did not see Him, in them. As I write this blog I won’t ask you whether you are a Pharisee!.. but are you a Protestant Gnostic (3)? Over the last few days we have been seeing how Augustine saw Christ in the Psalms. Let’s look at Irenaeus today. Irenaeus was a second century opponent of gnosticism, who saw the presence of Christ in the Old Trestament. For Irenaeus the unity of the Old and New Testament , demands that we see the presence of Christ  in the Old Testament. I have been asking myself the question would Iranaeus if he were alive today, would he call you and me Protestant  Gnostics? I think he would…

How does Irenaeus see the presence of Christ in the Old Testament? (4) “Irenaeus is known particularly for the understanding of redemption as recapitulation. Irenaeus saw Christ as recapitulating all of history. He notes that there are four covenants in history: “one prior to the deluge, under Adam; the second that after the deluge, under Noah; the third, the giving of the law under Moses; the fourth that which renovates man, and sums up (recapitulates) all things in itself by means of the Gospel, raising and bearing men upon its wings into the heavenly kingdom.”

(5)“Throughout his writings Irenaeus appeals to Christ as the one who recapitulates what had gone before and as the one who thus brought about salvation. This principle of recapitulation means that for Irenaeus the proper way to read the Old Testament is with the question in mind. How does this passage speak about Christ? Some Old Testament passages do this, of course, by means of prophetic messianic announcement,… (but)Irenaeus nonetheless insists that  almost seemingly straightforward historical narratives have reference to Christ. …For Irenaeus the unity of the two Testaments – the result of the identity of the Father of Christ with the God of the Old Testament – demands that we see the presence of Christ in the Old Testament.”

So what is the Lord saying to you through Psalm 46  today?  The notes in   Orthodox study bible on Psalm 46 provide a ‘Christotelic’ ( concerning the End, which is Christ) reading, which I explained yesterday. The notes are as follows:- Psalm 46 (7) “is about hidden things concerning the End, who is Christ. These hidden things are “the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.” (Col 2:3) which are now revealed in His incarnation and made known among the Gentiles (Col 1: 26,27). Here before His incarnation, the earth was troubled with fear (v 3,4 and 7), which was the fear of death. But after his incarnation, the church no longer fears death (v3) because His works (v 9), that is, His death and Resurrection (early in the morning v6), opened up the torrents of the rivers of God’s grace to the church (v5) Thus hatred (wars) ceased among the Gentiles to the ends of the Earth, and the Church was established among them. For stillness in prayer replaced the tumult of hostility between them (v 10 -12).”   

Prayer.

Lord help me to guard my heart that it might be a well-spring of life. I lay hold of your promise  that as I believe in you, rivers of living water will flow out of my heart (John 7:38). You are that river of life in the book of Revelation. Lord, I choose to live the jolly life(!), in the river of God…. by you, with you, on you and in you, Lord Jesus.

References

(1) Grahame, W. The Wind in the Willows, 14,15.

(2) Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence.

(3) Lee, P.L. Against the Protestant Gnostics.

(4) Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence, 14.

(5) Boersma, H.  Scripture as real presence, 15.

(6) Jersak, B. A more Christlike word, 139-144.

(7) Orthodox Study bible, 712.