The Psalms
by Pastor Jim Jester
December 11, 2022
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
INTRODUCTION
Thus, in the First of the book of Psalms, the tone is set for the comparison and contrast of those men who are righteous and those who are wicked. “Happy is the man who does not go in the company of sinners… 2 But whose delight is in the law of the Lord.” (Ps. 1:1-2a, BBE)
There are many such references to the upright and the evil in the book of Psalms. At first, we may assume that David is simply speaking about good people and bad people. This is true, as David certainly had his share of trouble from his adversaries. However, as we read large amounts of the Psalms, there is a growing sense that David had more in mind than just the morally good and the morally bad. We find there is a racial context revealed.
We see in Psalm 3:8, that David refers to “thy people,” obviously in reference to the Israelites. In Psalm 4:2, he uses the term “sons of men” which in past usage has meant those people not of Adamic heritage; as “the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful” (q.v., Gen. 6:2). In Psalm 12:1, David writes: “Help, LORD; for there is no longer any that is godly; for the faithful have vanished from among the sons of men.” (RSV) Then, shortly following at verse 8, he states, “On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the sons of men.” (RSV) Still further (Ps. 14:2-7):
2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. 3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one. [NOTE: This is not speaking of the Christian or moral person.]
4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD? 5 There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. 6 You would confound the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge. 7 O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad. (Ps. 14:2-7, RSV)
Here, we cannot miss the point, that of the “sons of men,” not even one among them understands or does good. David claims that these “evildoers” eat up his people; and they do not call upon the Lord. All this could point to morally bad men, if David did not then say that “God is with the generation (or race) of the righteous” and then speak of the deliverance for Israel that would come out of Zion. Then he places the identifying capstone when he says, “Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.” This is the racial family of God; and the reason they seek refuge is that they are captives of the “sons of men” simply because the sons of God have not maintained dominion over the earth.
David paints a miserable picture of these “sons of men,” not suitable to the prevailing humanistic views, civil rights, and wokeism of today. And to further rub the liberal’s nose in it, he goes on to describe the citizen of Israel:
1 Who shall dwell on thy holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. (Ps. 15:1-5, RSV)
These are Israel, the children of God. The “sons of men” have to part in this family. The difference between these two in-born spirits is overwhelming. This is not a matter of morality, but a matter of racial integrity, honor, and the perpetuation of one’s own kind.
David’s words in these first 15 Psalms say very little, unless we acknowledge the vast differences between the sons of God and the sons of men; unless we depart from the sentiment and notion that we all are equal, and all from Adam; unless we accept the fact that we are the family of God who have nothing to do with the pre-Adamic sons of men. If we as God’s national Israel do not end our intercourse with all foreigners/strangers, God will soon say, “They are all gone aside; they are together[both “sons of men” and “sons of God”] become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Ps. 14:3, ASV) If the God-denying humanist/communist wants to know what is worse than segregation, it is the destruction of God’s holy seed through race-mixing and miscegenation.
THE WORD “GENERATION”
There is reason to question certain words in Scripture, allowing for possible changes in meaning over the centuries. The word “generation” is one of many such words in question. The dictionary defines this, “1. All of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively… 2. The production of something: methods of electricity generation. The propagation of living organisms; procreation.”
If we always take the first definition, which is in connection with time, we find it doesn’t make sense in certain Scriptures. Such as in this verse:
There were they[the wicked] in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous. (Ps. 14:5)
To identify the righteous with a time period simply does not make sense, for people are both good and bad irregardless of any time period.
Another example:
Thou shalt keep them [the righteous], O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this [the wicked] generation for ever. (Ps. 12:7)
Again, it is strange to identify wicked people by a time period (a generation). But there is a greater problem. If the issue is about the wicked of this particular generation, why then are the righteous preserved from them forever? The two time periods, generation and forever, are not compatible terms in this sentence — they have different meanings. Thus, our understanding is flawed. Something is missing.
We learn from the dictionary that there is another meaning for “generation:” 2. “The production of something; procreation.” This is the process by which man begets his offspring. The word “gene” is in generation. Therefore, his children are his gene-ration (gene allocation — not a time period). They are his descendants, and in the broadest sense, they are his race.
Now, going back to our two verses with a better understanding; “They (the wicked) are in great fear, for God is with the righteous generation,” i.e., the righteous progeny, the righteous race. This makes sense and fits David’s clear distinction between the righteous and the wicked, without any thought of a generation of time. The second verse: “Thou shalt keep them (the righteous), O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this (the wicked) generation,” i.e., this wicked progeny, this wicked race, “forever.”
So, we have cleared up a misunderstanding; and in doing so, we have given great credibility in using the word “race” throughout the Scriptures (one translation has done so). However, we must use discernment, for not in every place would the word “generation” be interpreted as progeny or race. We can see such an example in this statement:
Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; His years shall be as many generations.(Ps. 61:6, ASV)
The context is speaking of time, the kings’ lifetime; so the usual time definition of generation applies.
Probably the biggest downfall of the Christian church is that they will not discuss the race issue, even though it can clearly be shown that the word “generation” has two meanings. Thus, the impact of this on the national scale has given us such foolishness as the worship of blacks, invasion by open borders and other Wokeism agenda.
THE WORD “ANOINTED”
There is some question regarding the word “anointed” as used in the Psalms; and it is translated differently in various versions. The KJV reads:
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed… (Ps. 2:2)
Brown-Driver-Briggs defines the Hebrew word “mâshı̂yach” as, “anointed, anointed one (of the Messiah, Messianic prince; of the king of Israel; of the high priest of Israel; of Cyrus; of the patriarchs as anointed kings).” Apparently, all these meanings are acceptable.
If the “anointed” refers to “the Messiah,” there is no question, for we know who He is (the Lord Jesus Christ). But if “anointed” refers to “his anointed,” then the question must be asked, “Who are his anointed?” The entire O.T. gives us the answer — it is the Israelite family of God. These are mortal men, not deity; and they are the “sons of God” in contrast to the “sons of men.”
In the N.T., the Greek equivalent of this Hebrew word for “anointed” is “Χριστός” (Christos); and we find support for this in Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ [anointed].” It collectively here refers to God’s family; but may also apply as an appellation for Jesus.
In Psalm 18, the same Hebrew word (of Ps. 2) is used:
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. (Ps. 18:50)
We must not lose sight of the fact that God does have His anointed, as opposed to the sons of men who “have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt” (Ps. 14:3).
In Psalm 8, David speaks of the Lord’s glory. He magnifies God and then asks two questions of great importance.
1) What is man that thou art mindful of him,
2) And the son of man that thou dost care for him? (Ps. 8:4, RSV)
There is a “man” in the first question; there is the “son of man” in the second question. David’s esteem of God is so great that he wonders why God even thinks about the first man, and wonders why He takes care of the son of man. Is the man and the son of man the same person? The answer appears to be no. The Hebrew word for man here is “enosh” and the Hebrew word for the son of man is “Adam.” The definition of enosh is, “a mortal (differing from the more dignified Adam).” (Strong, The Exhaustive Concordance, Hebrew Dictionary, p. 14) It is the enosh man that God thinks of; it is the adam man that God cares for. This supports our belief that enosh man was on the earth before Adam. Also, it is enosh man that is referred to throughout the Psalms as the wicked man. He is the pre-Adamite. It is Adam that God breathed into his Spirit, and to whom David referred in the next verses of this Psalm.
Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. 6 Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet. (Ps. 8:5-6, RSV)
When the sons of God learn their position with God and stop dragging themselves down to the level of enosh man, they will again obey their God and “rule over the works of Thy hands.”
MORE DISTINCTIONS
David makes many more distinctions between the sons of God and the sons of men, which become meaningful when we become aware of race in the Bible. The following are some of the passages; and I have chosen the Revised Standard Version exclusively in this section. You may want to follow along and compare these in your own Bible translation.
PSALM 17:14-15
…O LORD, from men whose portion in life is of the world. May their belly be filled with what thou hast stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their babes.
As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.
This could be said another way; “For men whose portion in life is of the world; I wish them well and may they be able to leave something for their children. But as for me, in the resurrection unto life, I shall be satisfied to see thy face.” This passage seems to picture “men” whose spirit is not “from above” (Jn. 3:7), as are those from the family of God. The sons of God have a future, but the sons of men have only this temporal life.
PSALM 22:22-23
I will tell of thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee: 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! all you sons of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you sons of Israel!
David is addressing his brethren, the ancient Israelites. But what is implied later in the Psalm is that one day, when the enemies of God are destroyed, “…all the families of the nations shall worship before him.” (Ps. 22:7, RSV) The entire earth yearns for the day when evil is destroyed and the people are able to live in peace and harmony among themselves and with God. But they will not administer the kingdom of God.
PSALM 28:8-9
The LORD is the strength of his people, he is the saving refuge of his anointed. 9 O save thy people, and bless thy heritage; be thou their shepherd, and carry them for ever.
Once again, the anointed people are spoken of. This salvation of the anointed is a recurring theme in the Psalms, if not the whole of the Old Testament. It is this family (race) of God for whom His inheritance is reserved, not some other race, and certainly not all races. Inheritance is a family affair.
PSALM 115:16-18
The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the sons of men. 17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any that go down into silence. 18 But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore…
Notice the contrast! Two groups are spoken of: the sons of men and us! The sons of men have been identified as those pre-Adamic creations of God; and God says he has given the earth to them. Then He describes the sons of men as “the dead who do not praise the Lord.” They are dead spiritually and cannot worship “in spirit and in truth” as do the sons of God. Then He describes their fate as those “who go down in silence.” What silence?
The following passage is a commentary on the Scripture above. The Bible is its own best commentary; and I will also comment. “Put not your trust in princes [Who are these princes?], in a son of man, in whom there is no help[no salvation; they are spiritually dead]. 4 When his breath departs he returns to his earth [This is the “silence” referred to above]; on that very day his plans perish.” (Ps. 146:3-4) This silence we could call death; or annihilation, for there is no resurrection for this group of men. So we see that this passage applies to the sons of men, but not the sons of God for they already have eternal life.
Can we see the difference between the spiritually dead and those who are alive to the Spirit of God? Can we see the contrast in these passages between the “sons of men” and “we,” the “sons of God,” the covenant family? It is we, no one else, who will bless the Lord for evermore on into eternity.
CONCLUSION
The Bible can teach us a lot about our world and its inhabitants. There are races left over from ages past that fall under the category of the “sons of men” and, of course, many of them are in opposition to the “sons of God.” This enmity is confirmed in Genesis 3:15 and will be with us till the end of the age. Our problem is convincing people, even Christians, of this truth, for it is contrary to everything they are taught regarding race. In fact, the mainstream of all people believe there are no races — we are the entire “human race.” But of course, the fact remains that the wicked hate the righteous and oppose our God, until the day He steps in and says “enough is enough; it’s over.”
This leads us to one more matter in the book of Psalms that the sons of men, and even many Christians, will not comprehend. It is found in the words of David in Psalm 139.
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. (Ps. 139:21-22)
“Love everybody” has become the cry of everybody — saint and sinner alike. But the problem is they do not know the Word of God! David said he hates the enemies of God. When Jesus said to love your enemies, He certainly did not intend for you to love the children of satan, the enemies of God. Yet this doctrine of love has been taught in the churches for centuries; and has been a great benefit to the treacherous jews; and a curse to us.
If you think that somehow David spoke too harshly or perhaps did not have the right attitude, then you should read the next two verses.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps. 139:23-24)
David asked that God’s Spirit would search him for any wickedness that might be in him. The obvious implication is that God found no fault.
Amen! Praise be to God.