At the end of October, we marked the
five hundred and first anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of his
Ninety-Five Theses to the church door at Wittenberg (October 31, 1517), thus
igniting the Protestant Reformation. Luther’s rediscovery of the Biblical
doctrine of salvation came not only from his study of New Testament books like
Romans and Galatians, but also from his study of the Psalms. Luther described the
book of Psalms (the Psalter) as “a little Bible.” He saw what previous
generations of Christians stretching back to the apostles has also discovered: The
Psalms speak of Christ. Luther wrote:
The
Psalter ought to be a precious and beloved book, if for no other reason than
this: it promises Christ’s death and resurrection so clearly—and pictures his
kingdom and the condition and nature of all Christendom—that it might well be
called a little Bible. In it is comprehended most beautifully and briefly
everything that is in the entire Bible. It is really a fine enchiridion or
handbook. I fact, I have a notion that the Holy Spirit wanted to take the
trouble himself to compile a short Bible and book of examples of all
Christendom or all saints, so that anyone who could not read the whole Bible
[could] have here anyway almost an entire summary of it, comprised in one
little book (as cited in Timothy George, Reading Scripture with the Reformers, p.
186).
May we continue to read, pray, preach, and
sing this “little Bible” of the Psalter so that we might learn more of Christ.
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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