When interpreting the Psalms from an OT perspective...

[Afterthought]

Often, whenever a commentary or anyone exegetes a Psalm, first will come the historical background--What did this psalm mean in its original context? Usually, the historical background is something like "Solomon had many wives and perhaps this is one of them he is talking about" (Psalm 45), or other such things (like a psalm praising a king of Israel that forshadowed Christ) that seem to conflict with....the psalms being worship songs in Israel. Indeed, it seems like such things are inappropriate to be in a worship song to God, yet if that was all that Israel was left with or co-opted into the service of God, then it certainly seem strange; wouldn't such suggest that perhaps that is not the original context of the Psalm? Yet, I notice that most people will exegete the Psalm to include such elements as part of the Psalm's original context. So now my question: Is it appropriate to interpret psalms that way, and if it is (and I'm guessing it is), why is it appropriate, and how does that fit with the psalms being Israel's worship songs?

I hope I wrote that out clearly enough! Thanks for any help!

 

[a mere housewife]

Just by way of bumping this, I wonder if it has to do with their being conformed to Christ through those experiences? It is not just that there was an aspect of their experience which foreshadowed Christ's office and work in some way, but that this experience led them to expressions of real communion with Him, to cries and prayers and praises that Christ would use in the crucible of His experience? It seems to me that this life conformity and communion is true worship?

 

[jwithnell]

In his Eschatology of the Psalter, G. Vos notes the Psalms have two uses: the devotional and the historical. "The deeper fundamental character of the Psalter consists in this that it voices the subjective response to the objective doings of God for and among his people ... Faith will sing its supreme song when face to face, either in anticipation or reality, with the supreme ct of God."

 

[Afterthought]

Thank you for the bumps! And those are some interesting ideas, though I'll need to think about them more. They do sound plausible.