1

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (3)
Myth 2: No repentance?

1.Review—it’s been a while!

1.1.What’s the problem?

1.1.1.Enemies: how’s the problem between OT and NT normally put?

1.1.2.Is that fair to the NT?

1.1.3.Is it fair to the OT?

1.2.Pleading for judgment

1.2.1.Rescue of the innocent, not purely justice as aim

1.2.2.Rescue of the aggressor, not purely justice as the means

1.2.3.Not vindictiveness

The righteous will eventually either:

  • rejoice at the death of their wicked oppressors, since that is their relief from suffering, or
  • rejoice even more at the repentance of the wicked, which also puts an end to their suffering.

1.2.4.Not therapy or inaction

1.3.Gospel or no gospel in the Psalms?

1.3.1.Do the psalms teach us to pray out of self-righteousness?

1.3.2.Do the psalms teach us that the enemy cannot repent?

1.3.3.Do the psalms teach us not to love our enemies?

1.4.Review of session 2: myth 1, self-righteousness

1.4.1.Meanings of “righteous” in the Psalms

General:

  • not perfection
  • in saving relationship with God (trust, fear, refuge)
  • expressed through practical righteousness

Specific:

  • Not guilty of the sin or crime at issue.

So can be sinful and righteous at the same time, but not in the same way:

Psalm 41 (ESV)

4As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”

12But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

1.4.2.The courtroom setting: Deut 19:16–21

What does “righteous” mean?

What does “wicked” mean?

How does a trial work?

What are the possible consequences for the righteous and the wicked?

1.4.3.Slander is the typical weapon in the Psalms

Psalm 52:2–4 (ESV) 2Yourtongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. 3You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.4You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

Psalm 57:4 (ESV) 4…whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Psalm 59:7 (ESV) 7There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips—

Psalm 64:3–4 (ESV) 3who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, 4shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.

Be very careful with your words!

Psalm 141:3 (ESV) 3Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!

The modern culture of therapeutic victimhood will encourage you to slander others.

1.4.4.Self-righteousness in e.g., Psalm 7?

False accusation

Requires protest of innocence of the specific false accusation

Requires accusation that the wicked are wickedly lying

Relies on Yahweh’s righteousness as judge: he will find favour with the righteous not the wicked

This is not earning favour with Yahweh.

This is not justification by own merit.

It is simply vindication from a false accusation. “I didn’t steal your mobile phone” is not the same claim as “I can stand proud on judgment day”.

2.Myth 2: they couldn’t get their heads around ‘repentance’

2.1.What we’re saying, what we’re not saying

2.2.What is being claimed?

What could David and the OT saints not understand, which the NT explains, according to the quotations on the slideshow?

3.Testing the claim: repentance in the Psalms

3.1.Psalms 1 and 2

3.2.Psalm 7

What does David want to end? v9

David has established that he is entirely safe: vv10–11

Then what does he say next? v12

Does David view judgment as certain?

If not, what is the condition?

What is certain is David’s rescue

What might the effect of vv12- be?

4.Conclusion: do the claims stack up?

What were the claims to do with repentance?

How do they compare with Pss 1–2, 7?

Steffen JenkinsKeswick Convention20th July, AD 2017