Tour of the wine press Psalms ( Ps 8, 81, 84 ): Portrait of a Second Adam from Heaven

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whirlingmerc

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Tour of the wine press Psalms ( Ps 8, 81, 84 ): Portrait of a Second Adam from Heaven, Psalm 8, part 3

Having seen Psalm 84, we would go to the last 'wine press' Psalm, Psalm 8. The tour guide pointed toward the five mountains in a distance and told the group we would head there next. The best view would be to go out of the book of Psalms and enter it, walking in from the beginning of the book. A bit like hearing a tune with the 8 notes around it is better than hearing just one. We were set out to hear the do re me fa so la ti do of the first eight Psalms.

Book closed, then re-approached fresh, turning to Psalm 1, the mountains previously seen were not in view instead a large gate with a fruit tree and streams on it was before them, the entrance of the book. The English major, Leonor, said, ‘This reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia, the wardrobe, there was an apple tree on that.’

Ms Sho the media major looked at the gate, ‘Do care to share, Leonor. tell us more about this image on the wardrobe. I didn't notice that part in the Narian movie. Why was a apple tree on the gate to Narnia?’

Leonor explained, ‘In the Magician's Nephew, what would become the gate to Narnia, the wardrobe was made from an apple tree from when Aslan sang the world into being. The creation story of Narnia. Perhaps this gate is also somehow tied to an image of creation.” The group began pushing open the gate, opening the book of Psalms. The tour guide told us to note what we see of David, the wicked and God as we approach Psalm 8. Leonor, you observe David. Sho, you observe the wicked. Bolzano, you observe what God is doing.

"I guess we walk through the wardrobe ! so to speak", Sho said whimsically.

As we opened the gate Leonor saw David singing, pondering the law, delighting in it in Psalm 1. God anointed David in Psalm 2, again David sang solo, saying the nations were his inheritance. but Ms Sho saw the nations opposing David. Bolzano looked puzzled at David being given the ends of the earth.

In Psalm 3, another solo sung by David and about David running from Absalom? Ms Sho and Bolzano looked puzzled. "Kiss the son? and then run from the son?", she made a face. David fled Jerusalem barefoot weeping yet went to sleep not knowing if he would survive the night and when he woke had new confidence. Ahithophel the adviser helping incite revolution against David met his end and David said God broke the teeth of the wicked. Sho was not pleased.

We walked though Psalm 4 hearing a choir singing to the music of simple strings and David in confidence sleeping, then walking in Psalm 5 with a more energetic choir about waking and praying in the morning the sound of flutes.

They walked through Psalm 6, a more sorrowful choir, singing to more complex 10 stringed instruments with an almost penitential feeling, Psalm hearing stringed music as we walked.

Once again David sang a solo in Psalm 7 regarding a man named Cush, a nasty fellow with a mouth like a garbage dump according to the song. His throat was like a pit dug with a dead guy thrown in and rotting away. Ms Sho was visibly bothered, eyebrows raised, as the wicked were warned that God whet his sword, drew his bow and prepared his fiery arrows. We all stepped into Psalm 8 holding our noses. The stench of Cush was unbearable.

Bolzano continued to look confused and asked where the five mountains we say looking back at Psalm 8 from 84? The tour guide explained that we could see those only when we were looking back in time, now when looking forward as we were.... but for reasons they would understand later could not be seen from Psalm 8 just yet. Bolzano remained more puzzled than ever.

We saw David stepping in front of a choir, he set down his Jewish Harp and picked up a musical stringed instruments, a Gittish, made by the Philistine city of Gath, city meaning 'wine press' where Goliath was from. "That's so strange," Sho thought. As we stepped in, we saw the conductor of the choir standing and nodded to us as if he had been waiting for us. Tapping his conducting baton, he pointed to the bases who sang the word "How!", each other section echoing back the word, then the bases again singing "How excellent!' and all groups thundered "How excellent is your name in all the earth."

The tour guide pointed out some sights. ‘this Psalm is entirely said to God. It is the only such statement to God in all of scripture without any side reference to others and you notice the question it starts with.’ The philosophy major said, “Indeed! And a philosophy question. ‘what is man?’ Interesting, a song entirely directed to God, in a way like no other, and yet it's about man?“

Leonor raised her hand and commented on the beginning and ending of the Psalm starting with ‘how’ ‘how excellent is your name in all the earth.’ “It’s as if David can’t describe the excellencies of God with particulars, rather saying ‘how’ not being able to keep God's excellence's all wrapped in a simple box.

David played a few notes on his Gitt-ar. Bright, sweet and melodious. The choir joined, singing about a heaven that could not contain the all the glory of God, we watched galaxies being born out white holes and nebulae and planets and comments flying by.

The tour Guide added, “His glory is over the heavens. That goes along with a word like ‘how’ which allows an excellence beyond the most glorious things in the sky. And then there is a turn. A glory beyond the heavens and yet seen in the humble utterance of babes. God is seen showing his glory in the humility of man who was made in his image, in contrast to the heavens. Man has all animals, beast, birds, and creatures under him.

David played a few more notes, cheerfully, thankfully again. The choir sang "all things are put under His feet. All things your hands have made."
The earth trembled a bit. Moon and stars appeared around David.

Bolzano's mathematical mind had trouble making sense of this, but thought... "why not the sun? because the moon is a reflected glory and man is a reflected glory, made in God's image? he mused?"

David played a few more notes. The choir sang "All beasts, all birds, all fish, all in the deep of the sea"
Buffalo, giraffe and lion all walked out and knelt before David. Bird began to alight around David of all types and in the steams of water fish were seem even flying fish leaping as if to get a better glimpse of David. Water splashed. In the pools of water near were jellyfish, octopus. Sea otter, turtle and crab crawled out towards David.

Ms Sho thought to herself, "Birds? Fish? Lions? What in the world does this have to do with David?"

A choir of children ran gleefully past us singing running to David giving him a crown and shepherd rod. David standing holding a lamb, choir singing about all animals beneath his feet.

Bolzano peered over into the next Psalm, actually a pair of Psalms 9 and 10 with an unusually name Muthlabben. It was a song with a victorious feel as far as he could see and ultimate victory over evil. ‘What does it mean, this Muthlabben?” The tour guide explained that it means ‘the death of a son’, leaving Bolzano more confused. ‘So where did the mountains we saw go?”, Bolzano asked once again.

The tour guide, motioned for all of use to pay attention. “Perhaps this will help” , walking up to a calendar we didn’t notice before. “let’s flip this ahead a bit… a millennia or so... that should do… hold on’ which a change of years the ground began to shake and the earth around us began to rise. One mountain appeared then four more behind it. A young lady was talking to the angel Gabriel on the closest mount about the Holy babe to come, Mount Luke with Mary quoting Psalm 8. Behind it, Corinthians 15 on the resurrection refers to Psalm 8, Another mountain, Hebrews referring to Jesus better than the angels referring to Psalm 8. Yet another mountain, Ephesians appeared regarding the foundation of the church and quoting Psalm 8 and the last had singing of children with a mountain representing the triumphal entry.

We didn't know what to make of it, but Sho noticed a man standing with us we didn't notice before. “My name is Jonathan, Jonathan Edwards, pleased to make your acquaintance. I was meditating on The Psalms, Psalms 7 and 8 in particular, and the next thing I knew I was here with you” The tour guide smiled, explaining 'Oh dear... probably a side effect of altering time space continuum a bit when a flipped the calendar forward a millennium".

Sho, looked at Jonathan and as a media specialist decided it could be a potentially favorable for her resume to interview the Jonathan Edwards. " So, where is the mercy? Psalm 7 speaks of whetting his sword, preparing his arrows and drawing the bow at the wicked. Isn't that a bit harsh?, Pastor Edwards?"

Jonathon smiled and said ‘Bow prepared but arrow not shot. God is angry every day at the wicked but shows restraint and long suffering. The sword is ready and poised to strike but there is time for mercy. Do you recall God after the flood set his bow in the clouds? ”

“Your point, Mr Edwards?”, Sho asked.

Jonathan explained, “The bow is drawn and pointed to heaven. God’s bow is aimed at the man in heaven. You need to rethink the Psalms you just walked though not only in terms of David but in terms of the man of heaven a second Adam.”

Yes, there are enemies of God, but in some sense are spoken to with humble not harsh sounds through children.
The music is redeemed in cadence, on an instrument of the city of Goliath. It speaks of a redemption even of an instrument of the enemy being possible.

“It speaks more strongly of Jesus than David. For example, the blessed man in Psalm 1, does the man who delights in the law and does all things well apply even more strongly to Jesus than David?”

Bolzano, who was a bit confused through the whole tour spoke up. “In Psalm 2, God said He would give the anointed the nations as his inheritance. David never got the nations as his inheritance’ Leonor said, “And in Psalm 3, David was on the run and instead of kissing the son, he was running from his son. Why?”

Jonathon agreed. “The nations were given as Jesus inheritance. He is the one who God poured out his anointed on Mount Zion at Calvary”

Boltzano said, didn’t Adam case death and suffering in the world Why would Psalm 8 sing of Adam ruling over all creation? Enormous cries of animals were heard in the distance. Bolzano pulled out his binoculars looking toward the book of Daniel and could see Beasts rising from the sea terrorizing the earth.

"What am I? in a Godzilla movie now" Show explained mouth wide open. Clouds moved across the sky headed toward the book of Joel. “Locus!! Said Sho! Swallowing one” “Why is this something to sing of regarding Adam, who left the world broken and cursed?”, Bolzano asked and why does David sing in Psalm 7 and 9 of God ultimately judging evil?

Jonathon winked, "I think you mean Psalm 9 and 10... seizing on a teachable moment... a pair... note only 9 has a title and divided by a 'Selah!'.... clues this is a pair.. treated as one psalm by the Septuagint. Psalm 9 contains a fairly
regular sequence of couplets from first half of the alphabet one letter missing, Psalm 10 same for second half, three letters missing... but I digress...where was I? Oh yes... David's had sons die tragically but that would not be the ultimate end of evil... no... that would com in Jesus"

Jonathon Edwards continued, ‘The lion will lie with the lamb but it will be under Jesus not Adam. It was a good but broken creation under Adam. The song David sung about the wicked man in Psalm 7 was about us all, needy and broken, but when Jesus reigns creation will no longer be broken, the blessing will eclipse the curse giving new life and new hearts” Continuing, “His glory is over the heaven yet he condescended to be born as a baby as a man. And the victory seen in ultimate victory in Psalm 9 and 10 entitled ‘death of the son’ That is fitting of Jesus in his death and resurrection.

"Angels may be able to sing even in David's day how God's glory is in all the earth, but could not say God's name is excellent in all the earth. Not yet. God's covenant name Yahweh was not known in all the earth. It is Jesus who the fame of god's name would be carried to the ends of the earth, ultimately," Edwards explained. "Oh Yahweh our adonai! would not be known to the ends of the earth in David's day in the same sense it will when Jesus returns."

"God's name, God's covenant name would not be heard in all the earth as excellent and sweet without the purchase of heart changed and cleansed made ready to heard made possible by the work of Jesus, in his work on the cross - The death of the son. The songs of sunset then sunrise point forward to the sunset and sunrise of the Son of God in his death and resurrection" Jonathan concluded.

We began to exit Psalm eight and the conductor once more waved his baton, the choir thundered "How excellent is your name in all the earth" then echoed to each other "How excellent" and the sopranos, then tenors then altos each sang more softly 'How" . Lastly the bases singing "How!" and holding the note long with diminuendo as we walked out of the Psalm.

Leona, the literature major seized on the opportunity, "Mr Edwards! I always wondered. Why do the Psalms take a Psalm about the life of David and then apply it to mankind or the church or Jesus? As a lit major I am curious to hear your views."

Edwards seizing on another teachable moment, looked at her smiling and said, "Several reasons could include the following: First, David was a prophet and said 'the spirit of God spoke by me' in the Psalms. Second, the law according to the New Testament is a shadow of heavenly realities. The law includes provision for a king, hence it is possible for Psalms of David to be about both David and the Messiah."

Leona thought about that answer. Ms Sho looked at the Leona and said. “I get it. I'm fine with that now, Leona. On the one hand the blessed man is like David, his prayers, his story, his struggles..... but.....on the other hand… the blessed man is in a stronger sense Jesus, anointed, opposed, then exalted. In his death judging evil and more than restoring creation. The ultimate blessed man.” Showing an unusual excitement, Sho looked at the tour guide and ask with some enthusiasm, "OK where next?"

The tour guide smiled, "We just walked though Psalm I in the first book of the Psalms. This Psalm comes back, so to speak in the last book. Best way to see this one is from space and pointed a way to a rocket marked "Planet Narnia" with a bumper sticker "heaven or bust."

Even Ms Sho looked pleased as we all stepped in. "Strap me to this firecracker and let's get going!," Sho said.
 
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