CS Lewis Ridiculed the Bible

CS Lewis wrote, “There are, indeed, some few passages in which a psalmist thinks of 'judgement' with trembling: 'Enter not into judgement with thy servant...' (143:2)... But the opposite attitude is far commoner: 'Hear the right, O Lord' (17:1), 'Be thou my Judge' (26:1), 'Plead thou my cause' (35:1), 'Give sentence with me, O God' (43:1), 'Arise, thou Judge of the world' (94:2). It is for justice, for a hearing, far more often than for pardon, that the psalmists pray. ...

The psalmists, with very few exceptions, are eager for judgement because they believe themselves to be wholly in the right. Others have sinned against them; their own conduct (as they frequently assure us) has been impeccable. They earnestly invite the divine inspection, certain that they will emerge from it with flying colours. The adversary may have things to hide, but they have not.

The more God examines their case, the more unanswerable it will appear. The Christian, on the other hand, trembles because he knows he is a sinner. Thus in one sense we might say that Jewish confidence in the face of judgement is a by-product of Jewish self-righteousness. But that is far too summary. We must consider the whole experience out of which the self-righteous utterances grow...”
(“Christian Reflections”, p124-5)

My comment: Lewis wrongly assumes that it is David speaking of his own personal experiences in the Psalms. And thus Lewis is forced to conclude that the Psalmists were “self-righteous”. He should have looked at, for example, the New Testament relation to Psalm 24. Here the Apostles say that Christ alone is the one who ascends into heaven by his own righteousness. David did not ascend by merit of his own works…

Psalm 24:3
Who shall go up into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall rise in His holy place?

Ephesians 4:8,9
Because of this, He says, "Having gone up on high, He led captivity captive," and gave "gifts to men." [Quoting Psa. 68:18] But that He went up, what is it except ...