Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. – Psalm 36:10

Today's Scripture Reading (August 20, 2025): Psalm 36

I believe that there is a problem with building a theology from the Psalms. That was never the purpose of this section of biblical writing. David and the other Psalmists were trying to find an outlet for the emotional story of their lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We often seem to believe that we have to get the emotional portion of life out of our Christian Walk, as well as out of our theology. The problem is that we are emotional beings, so trying to take the emotion out of what we believe is to speak to only a portion of who we are.

Another problem with the Psalms, as is true with the rest of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, is that they are a victim of something called Progressive Revelation. I know, some seem to treat Progressive Revelation as if it is something evil. But Progressive Revelation just hints at a process that we know very well. It is the way our educational system is constructed. We don't teach Grade 12 physics to a Grade 1 student. The brains of grade one students need to mature a bit before they can understand physics, but they also need to learn the basics. There is a lot to learn and a foundation that needs to be built before they can learn the material covered in secondary school and university classes. Our teaching is progressive, and one year provides the foundation for the next.

In the same way, the Tanakh tells the story of progressive teachings. We meet Abraham in Genesis 12, and the story of him and his family is told in the rest of the book. This family believed in God, but Moses had a better understanding of who God was during the Exodus, especially after he received the Law on Mount Sinai, than Abraham ever had during his life. That concept seems to be pretty obvious.

However, the process continued. Every generation seemed to have a better grip on who God was than the previous generation. I am continually amazed at what I see as the advanced theology of love and grace that is found in the story of Jonah, even though the prophet may not have appreciated that theology. Still, there is something in that story that is absent in earlier writings. Of course, the fullest revelation is present in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the one who pulls all of the different strings of the Tanakh and puts it all together, and we see God as he wishes us to see him. The Psalms are essential, but not for the reason that some might think.

So David asks God to "Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart" (Psalm 36:10). It is a sincere expression of David's relationship with God. He believed that God loved him because the king of Israel knew God. It was the reality of all religious beliefs; may God or the gods love me because I serve or know them. But the Apostle Paul speaks of a different reality, a reality that is a direct result of Progressive Revelation.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

It is not a new theology that is different from what we find in the Tanakh, but it is a fuller explanation of who God is and the relationship we have with the creator of the world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 38