In the history of Christian and Jewish worship, there have emerged two extremes toward which the worshiper may be tempted to move. On the one hand, there have been times when the holiness of God has been stressed so powerfully, that the ordinary mortal has felt it impossible to approach God in worship or prayer. On the other hand, the open access to God in prayer has sometimes been so stressed that admission to God’s presence becomes a thoughtless and casual matter. Between these two poles, there is a proper median: there is indeed access to the Holy God in worship and prayer, but it must be employed carefully, not casually, with appropriate preparation and reverence. Psalm 15 provides a guide to such access; it reflects the wisdom, prior to entering the divine presence in worship, of reflecting upon the requirements presupposed of the worshiper.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 152.

Any good accomplished by biblical characters was the work of the Spirit of Christ and reflected the formation of Jesus’ image in them. As such, these characters often point to Jesus by analogy – they are like Him – or they are witnesses to His character. Example: Joseph’s forgiveness and acceptance of the brothers who sinned against him reflect the spirit of Jesus who was in him. As such, Joseph is one of the most perfect analogies of Jesus’ forgiving spirit and one of the most powerful witnesses to Jesus’ forgiving heart.

David Murray, Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, 60.

When Joseph forgave his brothers, he was picturing the future work of Jesus, which even then was working in Joseph, by the Spirit of Jesus. Used in this way, the Old Testament characters should motivate worship and imitation of Jesus.

David Murray, Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, 70.

The final family story is primarily about Joseph, whom God uses to rescue Israel (and the nations, thus blessing them, Gen. 12:2-3) from famine so that the promised seed can be preserved. You will find reading this story to be a different experience from what has gone before, since it is a single cohesive narrative (the longest of its kind in the Bible) . . . Note how it begins and ends on the same note – his brothers bowing to him (37:5-7; 50:18; cf. 42:6). Look for the various themes that hold the story together: God overturns the brothers’ evil against Joseph; he allows Joseph to languish in prison (which came about because of Joseph’s refusal to sin) but finally rescues him and elevates him through his divinely given ability to interpret dreams (note the repeated “the Lord was with Joseph,” Gen. 39:2, 3, 21, 23).

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book, 32.

In the early church, the words of the psalm describing mankind’s role of dominion in the world (8:6–7) are given christological significance with respect to the dominion of Jesus Christ in his resurrection and exaltation (1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:22; Heb 2:6–8). In one sense, this is quite a new meaning, not evidently implicit in the psalm in its original meaning and context. And yet in another sense, it is a natural development of the thought of the psalm, for the dominion of which the psalmist spoke may have had theological reality, yet it did not always appear to have historical reality in the developing history of the human race. The historical reality, according to Paul and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, is—and will be—fulfilled in the risen Christ.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 110.

Psalm 8 is referred to a number of times in the NT. It is used by Jesus in a fashion which brings out more profoundly its initial meaning, but its use in the early church reflects a new kind of interpretation in the context of the earliest church’s christology. Jesus, after cleansing the temple, was criticized by the chief priests and scribes for his apparent acceptance of the behavior of children, who were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The authorities were indignant and expected Jesus to calm this juvenile chorus. But he responded by quoting Ps 8:3: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings, you have brought forth perfect praise” (Matt 21:16). In his rebuke to the authorities, he brought out the inherent contrast in the original psalm; the children take the name upon their lips (interpreting Son of David, from the perspective of the early church, as a messianic title), but the authorities are indignant and complain—in effect, they are the foes and the avengers of the psalm. But, as in the psalm, it is the children who have the truer perception, not the arrogant enemies.

PETER C. CRAIGIE AND MARVIN TATE, PSALMS 1-50, VOLUME 19: SECOND EDITION (WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY), 109.