Scripture Reading: John 5:39-40; Luke 24:44; Psa. 2:6-7; 26:8; 27:4; 46:4; 48:2; 72:8
Ⅰ
The main line of the Bible is the central line of God's economy concerning Christ and the church—1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 5:32:
A
God has ordained Christ to be the centrality and universality of His economy to fulfill His good pleasure—3:8-11; 1:9-11.
B
The church is the Body of Christ, the counterpart of Christ, the complement of Christ, to be God's dwelling place on earth, typified by the tabernacle and the temple, both of which are considered the house of God—vv. 1:22-23; Exo. 25:8-9; Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3; 1 Kings 6:1; Psa. 5:7.
Ⅱ
The Bible was written according to the two trees—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—Gen. 2:9:
A
The entire divine revelation is the development of the notion of these two trees.
B
The two trees are two sources with two lines, two principles, and two ends.
C
The Bible defines the tree of life and teaches the tree of life—Rev. 22:2.
Ⅲ
Because the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from the Lord; thus, "search the Scriptures" should go together with "come to Me"—John 5:39-40.
Ⅳ
The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms are the three main sections of the Old Testament; thus, the Lord's word in Luke 24:44 unveils that the entire Old Testament is a revelation of Him and that He is its center and content.
Ⅴ
The book of Psalms is a book of divine revelation through expressions of the sentiments, feelings, impressions, and experiences of godly men; in and through these expressions, Christ is revealed and the church as God's house and God's city is typified—2:6-7; 26:8; 27:4; 46:4; 48:2.
Ⅵ
The central thought of the book of Psalms is Christ and the church as the house of God and the city of God for His kingdom, as typified by the house and by the city of Jerusalem—8; 84; 87.
Ⅶ
The book of Psalms was written according to two kinds of concepts—the human concept of the holy writers and the divine concept of God; we need to be brought into the divine concept of the unveiling God—73:16-17.
Ⅷ
In our study of the Psalms, we need to realize that the spirit of the Bible is to exalt Christ—Col. 1:15-19:
A
The spirit of the Bible exalts the Christ ordained by God to have the first place in the old creation, in the new creation, in the Body of Christ, and in everything.
B
Since Christ has the first place in all things, we must give Him the first place in our being and in all that we do—v. 18; Rev. 2:4.
Ⅸ
We need to study the Psalms in order to learn the details concerning the all-inclusive Christ in God's eternal economy:
A
Christ in His divinity—Psa. 45:6; Heb. 1:8.
B
Christ in His incarnation—Psa. 8:4; Heb. 2:6.
C
Christ in His humanity—Psa. 8:4; Heb. 2:6.
D
Christ in His human living—Psa. 16:1-8.
E
Christ in His death—22:1-21.
F
Christ in His resurrection—2:7; 16:10; 22:22: Heb. 2:12; Acts 2:25-32; 13:35-37.
G
Christ in His ascension—Psa. 68:18; Eph. 4:8.
H
Christ in His exaltation—Psa. 80:17; 110:1.
I
Christ in His being crowned—8:5; Heb. 2:9.
J
Christ in His enthronement—Psa. 2:6.
K
Christ in His dominion, kingship, and authority—v. 8; 8:6; 47; 72; 89; 110.
L
Christ in His priesthood—v. 4.
M
Christ in His fighting—vv. 5-6; 45:3-5.
N
Christ in His victory—110:5-6.
O
Christ in His indwelling—22:22.
P
Christ in His shepherding—23.
Q
Christ as the stone for the building—118:22.
R
Christ in His coming—72; 96; 110.
S
Christ in His reigning—93—101.
Ⅹ
The book of Psalms covers four main points in a wonderful sequence: Christ—house—city—earth—2:6-7; 27:4; 48:2; 72:8:
A
The picture given in the book of Psalms is the same as that portrayed by the entire Bible: Christ, the church, and the reigning of Christ over the whole earth with the New Jerusalem as the center—Matt. 16:16, 18; Rev. 21:1-3, 24.
B
The book of Psalms shows us that the earth is the ultimate intention of God's desire; He must conquer the earth, recover the earth, and bring the earth back under His rightful rule—8:1, 9; Matt. 6:9-10.
C
"We are living today in a very crucial time. We are standing at an extremely strategic point in history. The issue of God's work in the earth today is tremendous. May the Lord be merciful to us and grant us His grace that we may go on with Him. May He open our eyes to see and appreciate His recovery" (Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, p. 237).