Dr, Jason Van Vliet & Family
Interview with Dr. Jason Van Vliet
After graduating from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary in 1996, Jason Van Vliet was ordained as a pastor and went on to serve two Canadian Reformed congregations. Along the way the desire to pursue post-graduate work led him to further his studies, attaining a Masters of Theology (M. Th.) from McMaster Divinity College (2005). He carried on studying and was awarded a Doctor of Theology (Th. D.) at the Theological University in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands (2009), focusing on the teachings of John Calvin regarding the image of God.
The Lord used this lengthy training and intimate familiarity with CRTS to well-prepare Dr. Van Vliet for his appointment to serve as Professor of Dogmatics at CRTS in 2009. As busy as he is, the good doctor found time not only to contribute to Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms, but also to answer a few questions for us. Enjoy! Peter Holtvlüwer
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PH: Let me start by thanking you for your contribution to Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms (CPOP). Besides being invited, what drew you to participate in this project?
JV: I have always loved the psalms. I think most Christians turn frequently to the psalms for their personal devotions, both in joy and sorrow. In addition to that, though, I’ve had the privilege of singing the psalms regularly in worship ever since I was a little boy. The rich, comforting, and challenging poetry in the psalms stirs the soul in a special way. By working on this project it was my hope that I might be able to contribute to the ongoing appreciation of God’s psalms in some small way.
PH: Which particular psalms did you work on? There was some (limited) choice in psalm assignments – was there anything special about this group for you? Please tell us about it.
JV: My task and privilege was to work on the psalms of the sons of Korah. That includes Psalms 42-49, 84-85, and 87-88. To the best of our knowledge, these men were descendants of that Korah, namely, the rebel who opposed Moses and Aaron (see Num. 26:10-11 in conjunction with 1 Chron. 6:31-33). To think that the Holy Spirit took descendants of an insolent rebel and turned them into temple musicians who gave us some of the most well-loved psalms—like Psalms 42, 47, and 84— is really quite amazing. Many of these psalms also highlight the worldwide kingdom of our Lord. This theme guides and encourages us in our age of globalization.
PH: One of the key things you were asked to find were legitimate connections to Jesus Christ in each psalm. How did you find this task (difficult or…)? Did your psalms present any distinctive difficulties in this respect? Did you learn of any connections to Christ that were new to you?
JV: After his resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples, “Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). Notice that the psalms are specifically mentioned. So if Christ himself was convinced that the psalms speak directly about him, we should be fully confident that this is the case. My studies on the psalms of the sons of Korah bore this out. To be quite honest, the only problem I had in the “Christ Connection” part of the work was trying to keep the word count somewhat within the limits assigned by the editor! There was always far more to write about Christ in any given psalm than I had room for. So once in a while I added connections to Christ in other sections of the chapter as well. Just don’t tell the editor about that:)!
Perhaps the most striking example of this came in Psalm 88, the (in)famous psalm that begins with anguished cries (vv. 1-2), ends with darkness (v. 18), and does not really have any bright spots in the intervening verses eithe
r. We tend to look at that sombre psalm as an affirmation that Christians, too, can go through very dark periods of life. Indeed, that is the case. However, when you listen to Psalm 88 as speaking in the first place about the sufferings of Christ, it becomes so much richer, and so much more comforting in the midst of our struggles. It’s good to know that the sons of Korah suffered overwhelming sorrow, just like we do, but it’s even better to confess that Christ suffered unimaginable anguish, not merely like us, but for us and our salvation.
PH: You are a full-time professor with plenty of demands on your schedule. How did you manage to work on CPOP alongside of your regular work? Did you encounter any special challenges? What sorts of things did you do to help you complete the assignment?
JV: Each chapter of Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms is carefully organized in sixteen succinct sub-sections. That structure helped the writing process. Writing takes “block time,” as I call it. To find an uninterrupted block of time to write an entire chapter is ideal but not always realistic. So, if the block of time available was smaller, at least I could write a few sub-sections before moving on to other duties. Also, while I served in two congregations—Lincoln, ON and Surrey, BC—I preached on the psalms of the sons of Korah. In that way I had a head start on the work. Also, one of the advantages of being a professor is that there is time in the summer to dedicate to writing projects like this one.
PH: How many hours (on average) did you put into each psalm? How did your wife feel about your involvement in Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms?
JV: There was a reason I went in the direction of studying theology rather than math. I’m terrible at estimating and even worse at guesstimating:)! Also a significant part of the work was done while preparing sermons years ago, and I fear my memory skills are not much better than my guesstimating abilities. But since you asked, let’s give it a try. I would spend about 16 hours preparing a sermon. Further research for a CPOP chapter I’m sure doubled that, so we’re up to 32. Then actually writing the chapter probably took another 12 hours, so we’re at 48. Then so long as the editor wasn’t too hard on me, I could finish up the edits in an hour or two. So, why don’t we say 50 hours per psalm? That’s a nice round number.
And concerning my wife’s feelings about my work on CPOP, you might need to conduct a separate interview with her if you want the whole story. However, I can say this much: we discussed this project together before I signed up and she fully supported my involvement because she cherishes the psalms as much as I do.
PH: Tell us about one of the most interesting or surprising things that you learned in working on your psalms.
I spoke about the rich, Christ-centred focus of the psalms earlier. That certainly stands out in my mind. Added to that, the global, multi-national rule of our LORD through his Anointed One, the Christ, was striking. Let me give you a quick sample. Psalm 45 is known as the royal wedding song, but it ends with “therefore nations will praise you forever and ever”—not just one nation, Israel, but nations, presumably from all over the world. Similarly, Psalm 46 ends with God being exalted “among the nations” not just the nation of Israel. Psalm 47 then starts with an enthusiastic call, “Clap your hands, all peoples,” and ends with princes of the peoples gathering as the people of the God of Abraham. That’s just three of the psalms; there are many more examples that could be mentioned. In short, the psalms are not only Christ-centred they are also missional, to use a buzzword of the day. When people think about mission and evangelism their minds usually go in the direction of Matthew 28 or the book of Acts. Yet they can also turn to the psalms for inspired guidance.
PH: How did the study of the Psalms impact you personally?
JV: A detailed study of Scripture always leaves me with a deep sense of awe concerning the work of the Holy Spirit. In Scripture, also in the Psalms, every word counts. We learn so much more about our God when we pay attention to the details instead of just surveying the broad themes, as important as that may be. What is special about the psalms, though, is that they are God’s Word to us that we, in turn, are to use as our words to God. After all, they are prayers and songs of praise. 
I think the thing that impacted me the most is how wise and gracious our heavenly Father is by taking no less than 150 psalms to teach us how to pray to him and praise him. We tend to think that praying and praising should be easy, should come naturally to us. However, in reality, we need to be taught to do it properly and fully. The psalms are inspired, pedagogical masterpieces in that regard.
PH: CPOP Study Resource was developed in part with Christian teachers and preachers in mind. In your mind, what stands out as the most useful features for educators? For ministers?
JV: Teachers and preachers are busy people. Every hour is precious. At the same time, CPOP is a highly organized resource. Due to this organization, any teacher or preacher can almost instantly find the information he is looking for, even on those days when he only has limited time to dedicate to research and preparation. In a word, CPOP is as reader-efficient as it is reader-friendly.
PH: How do you think people in your church might use either CPOP’s Study Guide or Devotional? What benefits do you see in this material for ordinary Christians?
JV: The Devotional can certainly be used just like any other devotional: for personal (or couple) devotions in the morning or evening but also family devotions around the supper table. The Study Resource is flexible. On the one hand it can be used as a commentary, but on the other hand it could also be used as a guide for Bible study groups. To be sure, CPOP may have more details than many other study guides that are available today, but this is precisely the beautiful part of its organization: you can use as little or as much as you need. Some Bible study groups might want to focus on the core sections such as Setting, Placement in the Psalter, Key Words, Main Message, Christ Connection, and Application. Other Bible study groups will want to dive in deeply and look at everything from poetic details to cross-scriptural themes. The choice is yours.
PH: Thank-you for taking the time to answer these questions. Did you wish to make any other comments about this project that might interest our readers?
JV: In closing, perhaps I can mention one more thing. In the New Testament, Christ quoted the Psalms more than any other book of the Old Testament. If we are truly disciples (that is, students) of Jesus Christ, shouldn’t we follow his wise example? Let’s continue to cherish God’s psalms. Christ’s Psalms, Our Psalms will help all of us do that.
**fini**
Photo by Georgie Pauwels 