I have been thinking about messianic psalms recently. I know that not everyone agrees that messianic psalms are a legitimate category. But without getting into that debate, what would characterize a messianic psalm if the category were valid? Here are three possibilities. Are there others?
1. Psalms utilized by New Testament authors in relation to the
person and work of Christ
2. Psalms containing elements that do not appear to find
fulfillment in a mere person or king (e.g., Ps 16)
3. Psalms related to a or the suffering servant (e.g., Ps 22)
2 comments:
I would add: Psalms that echo and build on previous revelation about the Messiah who is the seed of Abraham and son of David. For example, Psalm 72 speaks of the royal son (2 Sam 7) who rules over all the land (Gen 12), whose enemies lick the dust (Gen 3), and through whom all nations are blessed (Gen 12). Before we go forwards (to the NT), we must go backwards. The resistance to messianic psalms is a product of a higher-critical methodology which denies that God inspired Scripture in favor of an evolutionary model in which biblical texts (including the psalms) are divorced from their revelatory context. This view should not be entertained by believers.
I like your contribution and the idea of looking both backwards and forwards.
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