CS Lewis wrote, “I do not mean that God hears and will grant such prayers as that psalmist uttered. They are wicked. He condemns them. All resentment is sin.” (p120, All quotes from “Christian Reflections”, published 1967)
Why did Lewis call the Word of God “wicked”? How did he arrive at such a position? Well, Lewis assumed the Psalms describe the personal hatred and cursing of the Psalmist. And since the Bible forbids men to curse, Lewis concluded that many of the Psalms are wicked.
Ask yourself. Would Lewis have criticized and ridiculed the Psalmist, if he had seen Christ speaking through the Psalmist? If Lewis had seen Christ — the Righteous Judge — condemning his enemies in the Psalms, would Lewis have still called these Psalms, “wicked”? Of course not.
Sadly, by reading Lewis, we can see the fatal consequences of thinking the Psalms are David’s own personal experience.
He wrote, “… there is no better psalm to begin with than No. 109. It ends with a verse which every Christian can at once make his own: the Lord is ‘the prisoner’s friend’, standing by the poor (or friendless) to save him from unjust judges. … In a word, if we read only the last verse we should feel a full sympathy with this psalmist. But the moment we look back at what precedes that verse, he turns out to be removed from us by infinite distances; or, worse still, to be loathsomely akin to that in us which it is the main business of life to purge away. Psalm 109 is as unabashed a hymn of hate as was ever written. The poet has a detailed programme for his enemy which he hopes God will carry out. The enemy is to be placed under a wicked ruler. He is to have ‘an accuser’ perpetually at his side: whether an evil spirit, a ‘Satan’, as our Prayer Book version renders it, or merely a human accuser — a spy, an “agent provocateur”, a member of a secret police (v. 5).
If the enemy attempts to have any religious life, this, far from improving his position, must make him even worse: ‘let his prayer be turned into sin’ (v. 6). And after his death — which had better, please, be early (v. 7) — his widow and children are to live in unrelieved misery (vv. 8-12). What makes our blood run cold, even more than the unrestrained vindictiveness, is the writer’s untroubled conscience. He has no qualms, scruples, or reservations; no shame. He gives hatred free rein — encourages and spurs it on — in a sort of ghastly innocence.
He offers these feelings, just as they are, to God, never doubting that they will be acceptable: turning straight from the maledictions to ‘Deal thou with me, O Lord God, according unto thy Name: for sweet is thy mercy’ (v.20). …. He was doubtless a hot-blooded barbarian, more like a modern child than a modern man. (p117-8) … I do not mean that God hears and will grant such prayers as that psalmist uttered. They are wicked. He condemns them. All resentment is sin.” (p120)
My comment: It’s interesting. Notice that Lewis says that the Psalmist seems to be “removed from us by inifinite distance”. Without realising it, Lewis is describing Christ — He is “separate from sinners”. And when Lewis says the Psalmist was “never doubting that [his cursings and prayers] will be acceptable”, we can think of Christ’s unlimited confidence in The Word throughout his life.
Sadly, Lewis overlooked the New Testament. The Apostles and Christ only applied Psalms to Jesus. See how verse 3 of Psalm 109 is applied..
Psalm 109
3 And they hemmed me in with words of hating; and they fought against me without a cause.
John 15
25 But that may be fulfilled the Word that has been written in their Law, “They hated Me undeservedly [without a cause - KJV].” Quoting P69:4
My comment: Lewis is not the only one blind to Christ’s presence in the Psalms. Notice how the King James’ translators rendered Psalm 35:27…
Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause [tsedeq] (KJV)
The Hebrew word “tsedeq” occurs 116 times in the Old Testament. This is the only time it is translated “righteous cause”. It’s almost always translated “righteousness”.
However, the King James’ translators recoiled at the idea of shouting for joy and delighting in King David’s righteousness. To sing about another human’s supposed righteousness would be idolatry. But what about Christ’s righteousness? Note how the following translations render the verse…
“Let those who delight in my righteousness [tsedeq] shout for joy.” (ESV, Young’s Literal, Darby)
Also — see further proof here that Psalm 35 is about Christ alone — http://psalms.pbwiki.com/P35
Really, Christ will not share his glory with David!
“And He said to them …all the things must be fulfilled having been written in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms, concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)
“every prophecy of Scripture did NOT come into being of its own interpretation” (2 Pet 1:20)
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