Sunday, March 8, 2015

Our personal space is a blessed state in which Christ enjoyed in His oneness with our Father. This blessed state that we enter into was obtained by Christ by taking the curse upon Himself. To believe in a full substitution we must accept that we are legally protected from the former cursed state that we were under. The Psalms use judgement language of the curses as the edicts that provide for our safety. I call this cursing the curse. If Christ is a full substitute then in His identifying with us He provided us a new specific language that opposed guilt, fear, sorrow and shame. If He is actually our substitute than He is our friend who opposes the language of the curses. Christ cursed the curse so that we might rule over the earth. We cheer Him on in this defensive language.


 Isaiah 45
 11 Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me.
 11. Ask . . . command--Instead of striving with Me in regard to My purposes, your wisdom is in prayer to ask, and even command Me, in so far as it is for My glory, and for your real good ( 11:24 , John 16:23 John 16:13 , latter part of the verse; 1 John 3:22 ). Bible study tools.

This is a prophecy that God will deliver Israel from Babylonian captivity. In the Psalms God provides the nation with a prophetic utterance through the prophets. The prophets represented Gods elect within the nation of Israel. God put the coals on Isaiah's lips as a sign that he would be given the power to create disaster and blessing by "commanding the Lord." When God says He is gonna act to deliver Israel , a wayward people,  He is addressing the national Israel. When God uses the language of creation to explain His way of delivering Israel He is addressing His covenant elect.

You find this same creative language in the Psalms. Ps 10 18That man who is of the earth may be terrible no more.17 2 Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.Ps 39 13Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, Before I go hence, and be no more.60 5That thy beloved may be delivered, Save with thy right hand, and answer us. etc... These creative phrases  are spoken throughout the Psalms as if Christ was walking on this earth in a path in which He created success. This legal language was given to the Prophets to protect Gods elect when they suffered under these national judgements or when they went into captivity. God spoke prophetic words in creative language ...a kind of poetic creative language in responding to the Prophets declarations as they pronounced the curses and blessings as Gods expression of His Shepherd care over His elect.
The Psalms are written in the language of war in order for the people to use it to endure persecution and national apostasy. It is the prayer language for Gods people.  This is the context of our relationship with Christ.

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