Monthly Archives: December 2025

Jesus in the Psalms – The Nations

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Well, this study started with Luke 2:32 where Simeon announced that Jesus would be a light of revelation to us Gentiles and the glory of Israel. Paul quotes this idea in Acts 26:23 in his trial before Festus. No, it does not come from Psalms, but is found in Isaiah 42:6, which is heavy on prophecy. I wanted to see how the Holy Spirit directed the prophets who Psalms to include us Gentiles coming to Jesus. So, I started a search with the word Gentiles in the Book of Psalms. That did not go as planned but opened up a lot of things I did not expect.

Translations and Phrases

The translation you use will determine what word you use in your search, on-line or with leaf and ink. An example – the King James seems to have followed the Geneva 1599 Bible in calling us heathen instead of Gentiles or nations. In Psalms many verses, in Hebrew, use the word gō·w·yim, and that is not the only word that is translated nation. A beauty of our God is the poetry and imaginative language He uses when speaking through His prophets and song writers. Between our God’s creativity and translators doing their job I only scratched the surface of all the verses in Psalms that have or show nations and how they relate to God. Here are several links that may help.

gō·w·yim

The reason for me using gō·w·yim as a point of reference is it appears in Psalm 2, 22, and 33, and they (in my opinion) all refer to nations coming to Jesus. Psalm 102:15 also mentions them coming to God. Now, this was not the only topic/idea that the Psalms have about nations relating with God and the future Jesus’ life and mission. There is a plethora of verses on God ruling and battling, and then the nations and peoples praising God. Israel as a nation is referred to many times and other nations and their gods also have several mentions.

Here is one example – Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. (KJV)

Initially, these posts were to be Christmas related. The Magi are the Gentile representation involved in the story. You will not find the term Magi in Psalms, instead think about kings and rulers as in Psalm 138:4 and 72:10-11. If you stretched real far in the other books of the Old Testament magic and magician might be grabbed, but that is very iffy. Since rocks can cry out, trees can clap their hands, and waves can roar; Psalm 97:6-8 can include the heavens proclaiming His righteousness and glory. These verses also suggest the angels were worshipping Him. Let’s include the star first mentioned by Balaam (Abraham’s seed, but not Jewish) in Numbers 24:17.

Time to vent my very active imagination. What else in the world joined the angels in singing that day when the Savior of all creation was born? Does Psalm 97 give other hints? Mary told Matthew and Luke what she knew and could see in Bethlehem. What about everywhere else; did the earth quake, volcanoes erupt, forests rustle, herds and flocks sing, clouds drop lightning bolts, and the seas make noisy waves? Alas, we may not find that out until Heaven, but I have to think a lot of praise happened that night for the birth of the Creator. Silent Night is a beautiful song, but I want to believe that there was a lot of rejoicing.  

A Few Observations

  • Psalm 2 is a Father writing to His Son.
  • Psalm 22 I call the Jesus Psalm.
  • Psalm 33:10 -15 is about the people He chose for His inheritance.
  • 22 +33 have a mention of food and provisions.
  • Many times, nations and peoples are in the same verse or Psalm.

My takeaway. For the most part, the Psalms were written before most of the historical books in the Bible and before the Prophets. Besides the Law, the Prophets had the Psalms to read and reflect on. There is so much about the life and ministry of Jesus nestled in these songs, but how the nations will be treated are a major theme from beginning to end. Psalms proclaim just part of the message, but their voice deserves to be heard with the Prophets.

Jesus in the Psalms – Death and Rising

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The life of Jesus in the Psalms was and is an unrolled scroll for all to see. In The Birth, I said I wanted to do the story from just the Psalms. I do intend to focus on Psalms, but this topic is intersecting with other post that are in the works and is just too important. No, I will not get all the references. An example of this is Paul’s Palē or struggles, this topic brought him problems from both the Jews and the Greeks. As I did a word search with “ris or rise and death or dead” something kept showing up that I did not expect, more on that later.

I believe the Holy Spirit used things in the life of David and the other psalmist to announce things that related to Christ. Yes, Moses to Ezra all wrote things that were for Jesus; you need to be careful not to think every line is prophesy. I read a line on tombs and thought it could be included, then I read it in context and knew it was not about Jesus.

In your studies, I suggest you read other translations and use a text analysis tool/reference.

The Psalms

16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (KJV) Paul uses this verse in Acts 13:35. Written by David.

22:16-18 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. (KJV) This is where it describes gambling for the clothes. Written by David.

We know this relates to Roman practices, but forms of sticking people on pieces of wood had existed even before David. Here are two resources; yes, there are detractors about anything Jesus.

31:12
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. (KJV) Verse 13 has those enemies plotting to take his life. Written by David.

88:3-7 This section talks about “the pit and the dead”. Written by Heman, it is a song of the Sons of Korah.

Psalms 16,22,31, and 88 have more in common than the verses that I have cited. The last three cover friends leaving, insults, and people attacking.

89:45-48 Cut short his days and what man can save himself from the grave. Written by Ethan the Ezrahite-Ethan and Heman.

Some Other References

Isaiah 53:12
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Matthew 12 and Luke 11 are where Jesus compares Himself with Jonah.

Christians use the Red Sea, Exodus 14, crossing as an example of baptism, which is when we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Elijah raised the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17.

Elisha is credited with two people coming back to life: the Shunammite woman’s son in 2 Kings 4, and a dead man in 2 Kings 13, Elisha was dead, it was his bones that held the power.

New Testament

In my post, Jesus Knew and Told the Disciples, I explored the times in the Gospels when Jesus is credited with prophesying His death. An aspect that I did not think about was the Jewish leaders heard about this also. Herod is quoted asking about John and the power he was hearing Jesus had, Matthew 14. Matthew 27:63 is the Jewish leaders talking to Pilate about posting a guard. It just seems that they understood about a Messiah-figure rising from the dead.   

Jesus also raised people from the dead: the widow’s son, Jarius’ daughter, Lazarus, Matthew 27:52 “holy people” came from tombs alive when Jesus died, and Himself.

Jesus Knew and Told the Disciples