The peculiar idea that Christ is in every Psalm
Spurgeon’s caveat sounds refreshing
Robert Hawker (1753-1827), a Plymouth vicar, was, according to the Dictionary of National Biography, ‘one of the most popular extemporaneous preachers in the kingdom, His voice was powerful, yet harmonious, and as a pulpit orator he was impressive and fascinating. For many years he paid an annual visit to London, and preached to crowded congregations in the principal churches.’
Hawker, awarded a DD for his work on the divinity of Christ, wrote voluminously. He is best known for his Poor Man’s Commentary on the Bible. Spurgeon advised readers of his Commenting & Commentaries, ‘Gentlemen, if you want something full of marrow and fatness, cheering to your own hearts by way of comment, and likely to help you in giving to your hearers rich expositions, buy DR. HAWKER’S POOR MAN’S COMMENTARY … he sees Jesus, and that is a sacred gift which is most precious.’
Spurgeon’s only caveat was that ‘he occasionally sees Jesus where Jesus is not legitimately to be seen’ and that due to the above mentioned ‘peculiar idea’ he ‘attributes expressions to the Saviour which really shock the holy mind to imagine our Lord’s using’.
Not that Spurgeon himself was averse to seeing a lot more of Jesus in the psalms than most modern commentators. As he writes of Psalm 45: ‘Some here see Solomon and Pharaoh’s daughter only—they are short sighted; others see both Solomon and Christ—they are cross eyed; well focused spiritual eyes see here Jesus only.’
Indeed, this sounds pretty similar to Hawker on Psalm 132: ‘I cannot allow myself, in reading over this Psalm, to bestow a single thought upon David, king of Israel, nor on Solomon his son, (who is supposed to have written it for the dedication of the temple) lest, through looking at the shadow, I lose sight of the substance’.
Hawker sees a principle here for reading the whole Old Testament. He implores the reader convinced by his approach: “I beseech him to be very jealous in future over himself while reading the word of GOD, and not fall into the error, too common in the Church, but which in days of the gospel like the present,should be carefully avoided, I mean that of dwelling upon the type, to the prejudice of more clearly seeing the antitype.”
I haven’t read enough of Hawker yet to see if I agree with Spurgeon. But never has a warning sounded so inviting.
