Tag Archives: Messiah

Apr 28 2013

O T Facts (First Book of Law) – Genesis

In this installment of our Old Testament Facts series, we will focus today on the first book of the Pentateuch – Genesis, the first “Book of Law.”   This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of events of this book.  Rather, it is presented as a summary of events that seem most relevant to worship of the Lord and the ultimate coming of Jesus the Christ.

Creation_003Genesis

The book of the beginning and of new beginnings

Genesis 1 – Creation of the universe

Genesis 2 – Adam and Eve created

Genesis 3 – “The fall” – sin enters the world; first promise of the Messiah (Gen 3:15)

Genesis 4 – Cain murders Abel

Genesis 6–9 – Noah and the flood

Mamre, near Hebron. Abraham's home at one time

Mamre, near Hebron. Abraham’s home at one time

Genesis 12 and 15 – God’s covenant with Abraham (promise of land, a “great nation” and the Messiah)

Genesis 21 – Birth of Isaac

Genesis 32:28, Gen 35 – God names Jacob “Israel” (meaning God fights)

Genesis 37 – Joseph sold into slavery

Genesis 41 – Joseph rises to power in Egypt under Pharoah

Genesis 46 – Joseph brings his family to Egypt, is reunited with Jacob

Tabernacle - arrangement of tribes

Tabernacle – arrangement of tribes

Genesis 48 – Jacob (Israel) blesses Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh, claims them as “his” (Gen 48:5-6), again favoring the younger (Ephraim) over the first-born (Genesis 48:14-20).

Genesis 49 – Jacob blesses his sons, but declares that Simeon and Levi (their descendants) will be scattered among the other tribes (Gen 49:5-7).  So the Twelve Tribes of Israel are named – to include Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 49:3-28).  Jacob’s death and burial (Genesis 49:29-50:14).

Genesis 50:22-26 – Death of Joseph – end of Genesis

/Bob’s boy

___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 14 2013

Understanding the Cross of Christ – Part 5 (The Anointed One and His Sacrifice)

This series began in Part One as a search for a more meaningful answer to an aspiring young Christian’s question: “Why did God send His only son to die?”  The short answer “to save us from our sins,” while correct, really only serves to raise more questions.  In part 2, we looked at what sin is, why it matters so much to God, and why it should matter to us.  In part 3, we delved into God’s response to sin.  In all of that discussion, we have made great mention of the fact that God has a plan for our salvation.  In part 4, we looked at how Jesus really fits into that plan.  But what were God’s people looking for in a Messiah?  And why did God plan such a horrible death for Him?

The “Missed” Messiah

John 1:29-41

John the Baptist told his disciples that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Messiah, God’s Son, who would give his life for his followers — John 1:29-41

The Jews had been waiting for the Messiah to come for thousands of years.  But what kind of Messiah were they expecting – especially during the time that Jesus actually did come?  By and large, what many of them were hungry for in a Messiah was one that would lead Israel to greatness as a power in the world.  After all, he was to be the son of David.  They wanted him to be a great military leader that would first defeat the Romans who ruled and oppressed them.

But for people at that time,  getting them out from under the thumb of Roman rule was just the beginning.  They wanted a king that would eventually lead them to be the kind of power in the world that Israel enjoyed being during the reign of David – mighty and feared – possibly even to replace the Romans as the great power of the world.

In Matthew 2:1-5, when Herod learned of the birth of the Christ, the chief priests and scribes quoted Micah 5:2 in Matthew 2:6, saying:

“And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”

So Herod feared for his position, because he too assumed this Messiah would be a king of an earthly kingdom.  In John 6:15, when Jesus was at the height of his popularity with the people, the multitudes were ready to make that kingship a reality in their own way:

“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

And in Acts 1:6, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles (not yet having received the Holy Spirit) demonstrated that they still didn’t “get it” either: (“So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”).  So focused were so many of the people of that time on an earthly kingship for the Messiah, that they overlooked completely prophecies such as that of the “Suffering Servant” in Isaiah 53 or others such as Psalm 16:8-11 (“you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption”) that clearly predicted a different course for God’s anointed.

Sadly, many of those who longed most for the coming of the Messiah completely missed Him, when he was right under their very noses.

Why Death on a Cross?

Although the crucifixion of Jesus is the most famous of all time, it was not an uncommon means of execution from about 500 BC until the 4th century AD – one that was used by the Romans, certain Greek-Macedonian states, and the Carthaginian empire, to name a few.  The Jews of Jesus’ time would have been very familiar with this means of execution.  This brutal and very public display of execution was usually reserved for those who committed the most heinous of crimes.  It was abolished by Emperor Constantine I in about 337 AD.

English: The Crucifixion, Genoa Svenska: "...

English: The Crucifixion, Genoa Svenska: “Korsfästelsen”. Chiesa del Gesù, Genua. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So with respect to fulfilling the Scriptures concerning the suffering that the Messiah would have to endure, crucifixion fit into that plan perfectly, as only an execution inflicted with torture could.  A quick death by some other means (such as beheading in the case of the apostle James (Acts 12:1-5) ), while certainly painful, would not serve to accomplish the intense suffering prophesied in such passages as in Isaiah 53, nor the wounding predicted in that same passage and others such as Zechariah 12:10.  Accompanied by the beatings and scourging (Matthew 27:25-26, John 19:1), it also fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 52:13-14 of the Messiah being so disfigured from them that He was hardly recognizable.  Moreover, being “lifted up” on the cross was the fate Jesus prophesied for Himself (John 3:14-15, Matthew 20:17-19, John 8:28), as well as that prophesied in Isaiah 52:13.

What Did the Death of Jesus Really Cost?

It is important to understand how much love was involved in the sacrifice of Jesus on that cross.  Almost everyone in our society has at least heard John 3:16 quoted (“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”).  But how often is that verse quoted without much thought behind it?   After all, He was the Son of God, right?  It is easy to forget how much He gave up, and how human He became for us.  To be sure, God reveals to us what we need to know, but He does not reveal everything there is to know about many things; and that includes His relationship as the Father to Jesus as the Son.

Jesus clearly speaks of himself and God as separate entities (John 5:30).  God also does the same in such verses as Matthew 3:16-17 (“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”).   Yet John 1:1 makes it clear that Jesus (“the Word”) was God.  Peter (2 Peter 1:1) and Paul (Titus 2:11-13) both tell us that Jesus is “God and Savior.”  Philippians 2:5-6 speaks of Jesus having been in the form of God and having equality with God.  Even Thomas, having his doubt removed after the resurrection, recognized this as he exclaimed in John 20:28, “My Lord and my God!”   So the answer, in our limited ability to understand such things, is that Jesus was both God and a separate being – the Son.

The relevance of all of this to the willing sacrifice of Jesus is that God’s love for us prompted Him to have His only Son – and in a very real sense (the depths of which we cannot fully understand) a part of Himself – to come into this world as a physical man, to live and love as a man, to feel pain and sorrow just as we do, and to suffer and die a cruel and tortuous death at the hands of the very people He was trying to save.

In Part 6, we will conclude this series with a look at more of what Jesus’ death and resurrection accomplished, as well as what is required of us to gain our salvation.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 7 2013

Understanding the Cross of Christ – Part 4 – (God’s Plan)

This series began in Part One as a search for a more meaningful answer to an aspiring young Christian’s question: “Why did God send His only son to die?”  The short answer “to save us from our sins,” while correct, really only serves to raise more questions.  In part 2, we looked at what sin is, why it matters so much to God, and why it should matter to us.  In part 3, we delved into God’s response to sin.  In all of that discussion, we have made great mention of the fact that God has a plan for our salvation.  Now, in part 4, let us look at how Jesus really fits into that plan.

So how does Jesus fit into this plan of God’s?

If you were to say that Jesus, in fact, is God’s plan for our salvation, you would be correct.  God first promised this savior in Genesis 3:15, when sin first entered the world.  The verse reads in the ESV:

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.

The enmity that God refers to here is opposition to Satan through the offspring born of the woman.  Clearly, the “he” in the verse that will “bruise your head” is that offspring.  What is meant by bruising the head is the complete victory over the evil one that had the power over death, as told to us in Hebrews 2:14-15.  As for how the Crucifixion can be classified as  the bruising of the heel, consider that Jesus overcame death itself, and that the ultimate fate of Satan is his utter destruction (Revelation 20:10).

There are a great many prophecies throughout the Bible that promise the coming of this Messiah  – many more than we can include in this outline.  But the most important of these is arguably that which is written in 2 Samuel 7, where God makes a covenant with David which promises a kingdom from his offspring that will endure forever.  He would be the son of God (Psalm 2:7).  It is through this offspring of David that the one promised in Genesis 3 will come.  He would be sacrificed for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5-12).  And most importantly, he would be risen from the dead (Psalm 16:10, Psalm 49:15).

Who was Jesus really, and where did He come from?

Let us begin with his name.  Most people know of Him as Jesus Christ.  He has been known this way for so long that many people actually assume that His last name – His surname – was Christ.  But that is, of course, not the case.  Over the years the reference to Him as Jesus the Christ has simply been shortened.  The Hebrew for Messiah and the Greek for Christ (Khristos) both mean anointed or “anointed one.”

Most people know that He was born in Bethlehem of a virgin, and many have wondered what the point is of the long genealogy written in Matthew 1:1-17.   This was to document the fact that Jesus’ birth came forth through the line of King David.  The names of many of those in that genealogical record are found in books of the Bible (the Old Testament) written in the inspired word of God over many hundreds of years.

But though Jesus was born of a woman, just as had been prophesied, that is not the entire significance of His origin.  In John 1:1-18, we are told that before He came to live as a man, Jesus was with God since the beginning of time:

“He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Some say that Jesus never claimed to be deity, but that is certainly not true.  In John 10:30, he told the Jewish leaders at the temple “I and the Father are one.”  And in John 8:58, he told them “before Abraham was, I am,” which was clearly a reference to the way God identified Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians in Philippians 2:5-8, summed up how much Jesus gave up to come to Earth, to become a man, and to suffer a cruel death:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

As we near the conclusion of this series, we will  examine how Jesus measures up with what the people were expecting from the Messiah that had been anticipated for well over a thousand years, what His death meant then and, more importantly, what it means to us now.

/Bob’s boy

___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 25 2013

Psalm 119:81-88; Psalm 45

kafToday’s stanza of Psalm 119 is brought to you by the eleventh letter of the Aleph-bet, “kaph” or “kaf.”  In the first three verses the psalmist’s endurance is running low and he prays for God’s help and strength in his persecution.  A wineskin is a “bottle” made of leather or some other skin for holding wine.  The analogy of the wineskin being dried up in smoke is in relation to his distress and sorrow.

Psalm 45 has in its superscript a musical direction to sing the psalm to the tune of a song called “Lilies.”  The king in this psalm clearly points to the Messiah, and his princess bride is His church.  Verse 2 begins with a description of Him that is also referred to in Isaiah 33:17, and Paul refers to the second part of the verse (“God has blessed you forever”) concerning Jesus in Romans 9:5.  Verses 6-7, referring to His throne lasting forever, are cited by the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 1:8-9.  In verse 10, “Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house” is just what Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 14:26, 33.  Verses 13-15 refer to the end of days when the saints will join the Savior in heaven, and is prophesied also in Isaiah 35:10.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 22 2013

Psalms 40 – My Help and My Deliverer

Rembrandt - Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord...

Rembrandt – Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord in Jesus – WGA19102 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

There is some disagreement over whether this psalm is more about David praying for his own predicament, or about the Lord Jesus as Messiah.  It seems clear to this blogger that both are the case.  Consider the fact that verses 6-8 are quoted by the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 10:5-8.  The audience of the latter verses was considering abandoning its Jewish Christianity to return to traditional Judaism.  Coffman suggested that verse 3 points to the New Covenant of Jeremiah:31-35.  Verse 4 suggests a reference to worshiping false gods:

 

“Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!”

 

Verses 16-17 reminds us of the loving care of a Creator and God who considers each and every one of us important enough to watch over and care for us, his children.

 

“As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!”

 

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

 

/Bob’s boy

 

___________________

 

some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

 

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

 

Dec 2 2012

Nearing Year End \ Week 47 summary posted

Israelites of the Old Testament look toward the coming of the Messiah — Malachi 3:1-5, Isaiah 53

As December has now arrived, it seems hard to believe that 11 months have passed since this blog started on this Bible reading plan.  We began literally “In the beginning” in Genesis, reading the first promise of the Messiah (Genesis 3:15) and, therefore, the first hints of God’s plan for man’s salvation.  Truly, one could not follow even this easy plan without seeing that the Bible is one story, with a beginning, a middle, and soon we will find, and end as well.  We read of the ancestry, birth, life, and sacrificial death of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The focus o the Scripture now is clearly on looking ahead to Jesus’ return, as we all are; and we still have a month of the New Testament left of getting the “big picture” of the Bible.

Summing Up

Each weekend, I am now posting a small PDF of one week of chapter summaries (on the website’s “Summaries” page), current to the beginning of the previous week.  I have posted the summary for Week 47 (November Week 3) of the schedule I am following.  This short PDF document contains condensed comments about Romans 15, Acts 21, 22, 23, and 24, with hyperlinks to the ESV version of each chapter for listening or reading, and joins the summaries for other weeks already posted there.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Aug 30 2012

Mark 11 – The Triumphal Entry

As Jesus approached Jerusalem by way of Bethphage and Bethany, He sent two disciples to get a colt for Him to ride on – fulfilling Zechariah 9:9.  Jesus tells them where it will be and what to say when someone asks why they are untying it (including that it will be returned immediately).  On the way, He is hailed as the Messiah (verses 9-10).  “Hosanna” in verses 9 and 10 comes from an expression found in Psalm 118:25 (“Save us, we pray, O Lord”), which when translated into Greek becomes “Hosanna.”  In verse 11, He entered the Temple in Jerusalem, just to look around, then they left for the day.  When He returned the next day, He would again cleanse the Temple, driving out the money-changers and those who sold animals.  Verse 17 quotes both Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.

The following day, He saw a fig tree in leaf, even though it was not the season for figs.  But the leaves were an outward sign that promised fruit.  Yet there was none.  The analogy of this to God’s people is hard to dispute.  So Jesus declared that no one would eat fruit from it again; and in verses 20-21, His disciples saw that it withered  to its roots.  Verses 23-25 do not mean that everything we want will be given to us if we pray with enough faith.  We must remember what the scripture says about motives in prayer (James 4:3), and about praying according to God’s will (1 John 5:14).

Bethphage area, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, near Bethany. This was on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho.

The chief priests, scribes and the elders all come to challenge Jesus, demanding to know what gives him the authority to do the things he is doing.  He cleansed the Temple of what was going on right under their noses.  But more than that, the question also seems to be of a general nature, in order to strengthen their case against Him.  His refusal to answer unless they told Him by what authority John the Baptist had baptized was calculated, as He knew they would not answer (verses 29-33).  By saying that the baptism was of man, they would anger the crowds who believed John to be a prophet.  But if they said it was of God, they would be admitting that John spoke the truth when he said that he was the one preparing the way for the Messiah (John 1:23 and Mark 1:7-8).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 10 2012

Isaiah 53 – The Suffering Servant

In chapters 46 -53, the prophet Isaiah introduces four “Servant” songs.  The fourth, the Suffering Servant begun in chapter 52:13-15, continues here in chapter 53.  It is considered one of the most important prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament.   Twelve verses that foretell the most important event in mankind’s history!  The people are expecting that the Messiah as king will lead them to  military  and political greatness – possibly becoming a great world power.  Isaiah says that when he arrives, they won’t even get it.  The “Arm of the Lord” in verse one refers to God’s power in action.   This verse is referred to in John 12:37-38, and John goes on in 39-41 to quote Isaiah 6:10, elaborating on their blindness, and the hardness of their hearts.  Verses 2-3 show that he will be an outwardly unimpressive man from humble beginnings, rather than a majestically handsome ruler from the elite.  The  “dry ground” of verse two refers to the fallen kingdom of David.

The heart of the song is verses 4-6, as he bore the sins of the world though he was himself innocent – pierced for our transgressions (also see Matthew 8:17).  The event of the crucifixion of Jesus could not be better summed up by these verses.  Notice the words “pierced, crushed, chastisement, wounds.”   Isaiah stresses how much God punished the rejected servant for the sins of all.   Verses 7-8, led like a lamb led to slaughter or a sheep that before its shearers is silent – innocent, yet submissive.

The prophecy of verse 9 (“And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth”) is fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60.  Verses 10-12 make it plain that it was the will of God to crush Him; and the result is not regret, but a sense of triumph and accomplishment.  The crux of verse 10 – “he shall see his offspring” (the new Israel); “he shall prolong his days” (the resurrection); “the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (God’s plans are carried out).

Isaiah points ahead to the greatest act of love ever done for man!

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Jul 9 2012

Isaiah 11 – The Righteous Reign of the Branch

Isaiah 1:1 tells us that this prophet prophesied “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah”.  His call to ministry came about 740 BC – “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1). He lived at least until 681 BC, as he writes of the death of Sennacherib in Isaiah 37:37-38.

English: Isaiah; illustration from a Bible car...

English: Isaiah; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Isaiah 11 is a very short, but very important chapter in the message of God’s plan for salvation.  Isaiah opens the chapter right away in verse 1 with the promise of the coming of the Messiah.  The reference to  being from the “stump of Jesse” – a greater David is prophesied (Ezekiel 37:24-25), a better king to serve (Hosea 3:5).   Much imagery and evocative language follows, stressing that nothing will stand in the way of God’s plan (see verses 11-16).  Paul refers to these verses, speaking about Jesus in Romans 15:8-13 – saying that “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

May 23 2012

2 Samuel 7 – The Lord’s Covenant with David

If you asked this blogger for an opinion of the most important passages in the Bible,  it would be a tough task.  But the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel would definitely make the short list.  This is where God makes His covenant with David (although the word covenant itself is not used here, see Psalm 89).  Again, this passage is so important, we will find it again in 1 Chronicles 17.

Nathan advises King David

Nathan advises King David (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The chapter begins with David in his majestic home built of cedars, realizing that while God has made his kingdom great, David has not built a temple (a fine house) for God.  At first, the prophet Nathan tells David to go ahead – “for the Lord is with you” (verse 3).  But Nathan was wrong, and the Lord let him know that he should tell David not to do it. we will find out in 1 Chronicles 22:7-9 more reasons why God does not want David to build him a house.  But that is not the important message the Lord wants delivered here.

Instead, the Lord proclaims that He will establish David’s house, raise up his offspring, and establish his kingdom forever (verses 12-16 – compare to the Hebrew writer’s words about Jesus in  Hebrews 1:1-5). The comparison there seems similar to the explanation of the covenant with Abraham and his offspring that we find in Galatians 3:11-16 (especially verse 16), although Solomon is clearly the intended for the “short-term” kingdom.  But the kingdom that will last forever will be of Jesus the Christ (Acts 2:25-34).

Notice the prayer from David in verses 18-29 – full of intimate feelings of humility, thanksgiving, honor and respect (David uses the phrase “O Lord God” eight times).  Truly one of the great prayers of the Bible, and fitting to the momentous news he has received from God.  David indicates that he understands the monumental result of this news, but is filled with wonder, that God has chosen him to do his this great thing through.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at
http://graceofourlord.com
.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.