Month: May 2020

Psalms 1 & 2

The first two Psalms in our scriptures are beloved and well-known among Christians. But, interestingly, they deal with themes that seem to be minimized or ignored in Christianity as a whole.

The first Psalm is a paean to God’s law and the person who lovingly embraces it. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1)

This Psalm contrasts two men, or actually an individual and a group. The man who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it is contrasted with the wicked and those who walk in their counsel. At the end of the Psalm it calls him righteous, and says that the Lord watches over his way.

There are several Psalms that extol the virtues of God’s law, including Psalm 19 that calls it perfect (19:7) and parallels it with “The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever” (19:9). Probably the most well-known Psalm on this theme is Psalm 119, by far the longest Psalm, where a synonym of the law occurs in each of 176 verses. It says things like “I will always obey your law, for ever and ever” (119:44), “Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever” (119:152), and “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal” (119:160).

Despite testimonies like these, most Christians are under the impression that the law has been abolished. Jesus states unequivocally (Matthew 5:17-19) that this idea is wrong, and Paul echoes it (Romans 3:31). But second-century Christianity was so desparate to distance itself from Judaism that it abandoned God’s law. The results of that misstep remain today.

The second Psalm, although it might refer at some level to David and the ancient kings of Israel, clearly refers mostly to the future kingdom of God and its messianic king. “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‘I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.’ I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2)

In this Psalm the nations are opposing God’s anointed (messiah) king of Israel, but he rules them with a rod of iron and dashes them to pieces like pottery.

This theme of God’s ultimate kingdom under a human king is alluded to in other Psalms. Psalm 72 talks about the king enduring “as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations” (72:5) and ruling “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (72:8).

Another Psalm that deals with God’s coming kingdom is one which Jesus mentions to the Pharisees (Matthew 22:44) to show that the “son of David” is greater than David, Psalm 110. God, in speaking to his Messiah, says, “The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies.” (110:2) This king is also a priest. “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek'” (110:4).

Many Christian deny that there is a future literal reign of God’s Messiah on the earth and think that the kingdom that Jesus talked so much about is only a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of believers.

We would do well to turn back to these first two Psalms for guidance in the things that matter to God, both then and now. God’s law was given to last until heaven and earth pass away (Matthew 5:18) and to be the standard of God’s righteousness in his physical kingdom which will be established in Jerusalem in the last days (Isaiah 2:3). Let us never forget either of these truths.

Jesus and the Kingdom

In light of the extensive and detailed predictions by the biblical prophets of an end-time Kingdom of God, with a descendant of David as the king, the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for the arrival of such a kingdom at anytime.

It’s significant that, from the announcement of his birth, Jesus is identified as this king. The angel speaking to Mary said, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:31-33) When the Magi came seeking him, their question was, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2) The teachers, who were familiar with the prophetic claims, answered, “In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'” (Matthew 2:5-6) However the Magi had learned about this birth, they, as well as the Jews, were expecting the Son of David who would be king of Israel.

There are several titles by which Jesus went, which we tend to take for granted without thinking much about their meaning. The most common one is probably “Christ”, which was used by Herod in inquiring for the Magi. “Christ” is a Greek rendering of the Hebrew term which means “anointed”. It is used almost exclusively to refer to a king. The kings of Israel were anointed by the priest in preparation for their role. Whether we realize it or not, when we call Jesus “Christ”, we’re referring to him as the king over the kingdom of Israel.

Another term that was used commonly of Jesus is “Son of David.” This term also refers to the king of the kingdom that the prophets announced. The people’s use of this term and Jesus’ acceptance of it shows that their expectations of him were similar.

A term that Jesus often applied to himself was “Son of Man”. By itself, this is a Hebrew idiom meaning a human one. God addresses Ezekiel with this term many times with this meaning. But when Jesus uses it of himself, he’s alluding to the vision in the book of Daniel. In chapter seven Daniel sees the “Ancient of Days” on a fiery throne. Four beasts, representing human kingdoms, are destroyed. And then he saw “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) Jesus is clearly identifying with this eternal king over the entire world when he refers to himself as the “Son of Man”, which he does often.

The bulk of Jesus’ preaching is related to this kingdom. Before he even appeared in public, his cousin John announced him by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:2) This might be referring to a kingdom from heaven, or Matthew might have been using “heaven” as an evasive synonym to keep from naming God. Luke seems to use the phrase “kingdom of God” where Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven”, but they both refer to the predicted righteous kingdom of Israel and its Davidic king.

Much of Jesus’ preaching is about the good news (gospel) of the kingdom. In fact, when he uses the term “gospel”, he is referring to the coming of the kingdom in the person of himself. One of the prophetic signs of the presence of the kingdom was to be miraculous healings, and Jesus uses this to testify to his filling of that role. (cp. Luke 4:16-21) Many of his parables were to explain about the kingdom that he was offering.

Many interpreters are tripped up by Jesus’ statement in Luke 17:21 where some translations say, “the kingdom of God is within you”. They believe that this kingdom is an internal thing, despite the words of the prophets. The Greek preposition is ambiguous, and is probably better understood as “among you”. The Kingdom, represented by Jesus, was in their midst.

This Kingdom of God, that Jesus was offering, was accepted by many, as illustrated by its climax at the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But it was rejected by the leaders of the Jewish people, which was God’s plan all along. From that point on, Jesus’ message turned to his death and resurrection and the salvation that would bring.

But the promised kingdom was not cancelled, only delayed. Before his ascension, when the disciples asked if he was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel, he basically told them, “Later”. (Acts 1:6-7) After he was taken up, angels told them that he would return.

Though the promised kingdom did not come immediately, Jesus intended that his followers desire and pray for its coming. The prayer that he taught his disciples begins with a request for the kingdom to come so that God’s will is done on earth. Some manuscripts have the prayer end with “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” (Matt. 6:9-13)

The last few words of the New Testament at the end of the book of Revelation are a plea for Jesus to come back to earth. This future messianic kingdom has been a focus for Jews through the ages because they know the prophetic scriptures. But Christians tend to ignore these promises, even though their name implies that Jesus is the messianic king of that kingdom. May we continually pray the prayer that Jesus gave: “May your kingdom come”, and may we eagerly anticipate it.

The Kingdom of God

The prophets of the Hebrew scriptures wrote at quite some length about a reconstituted kingdom of Israel in the future. Virtually every prophet, except possibly Jonah, mentions it, some quite extensively.

Some of the things written are quite clear. This kingdom will be preceded by a period of God’s judgment on the nations. “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.” (Joel 3:1-2) The nation of Israel will be established forever with Jerusalem as its capital. “Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.” (Isaiah 33:20)

God will reign through the person of a king who is a descendant of David. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord (is) our righteousness.'” (Jeremiah 23:5-6) “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.” (Ezekiel 34:23-24)

From the lengthy descriptions of this coming kingdom, it is clear that there will be universal peace, prosperity, health and righteousness. War between nations will cease. “He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Micah 4:3) “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)

Animal predation will also cease. “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Prosperity will be widespread. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:13-15) “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4) “For the Lord will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heghts of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord– the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.”

Healing and good health will be rampant. “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2) “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.'” (Zechariah 8:4-5) “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.” (Isaiah 65:19-20)

And universal righteousness will be the order of the day. “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28) “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” (Zephaniah 3:13) “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

The Law of God will be the standard of behavior. “Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20) “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.” (Ezekiel 37:24)

This kingdom, though it be of Israel, will extend its dominion throughout the earth. “He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10b) “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.” (Zechariah 14:16-17) “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10) “At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.” (Jeremiah 3:17)

There has never been a time in history when these things have been even remotely true. And reading the prophets makes it clear that these conditions will occur in the future, in the last days. This coming kingdom of God is mentioned in several Psalms (e.g. 2, 72, 89, 110). But it’s discussed at great length in the prophets in the following passages: Isaiah 2:2-5; 9:6-7; 11; 12; 14:1-2; 16:5; 25; 26; 27; 29:17-24; 30:18-24; 32:1-4, 15-20; 33:17-24; 35; 45:17-25; 49:5-26; 51:1-16; 52:1-12; 54; 55; 59:19-21; 60; 61; 62; 65:17-25; 66:18-24; Jeremiah 3:14-18; 23:5-8; 30:8-22; 31:1-14, 27-40; 32:36-44; 33:6-26; Ezekiel 11:16-20; 34:23-31; 36; 37; 39:25-29; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 18, 27; Hosea 1:11; 2:16-23; 3:5; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15; Obadiah 17-21; Micah 2:12-13; 4; 5:2-5; 7:11-20; Nahum 1:15; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 3:9-20; Haggai 2:6-9; Zechariah 8; 9:9-10:12; 14:8-21; Malachi 4:2-4.

It’s unthinkable that these passages could be referring to the church. Any reader who takes the prophets seriously would have to agree; this kingdom is yet to come.

What is The Church?

Many people have the understanding that the church is a brand new entity, started from scratch after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, specifically at the event recorded in Acts 2 on the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Is that the position that is supported by scripture? Let’s take a look and find out.

The New Testament doesn’t describe a beginning for the group it calls the “church”. We are left to infer such things on our own. Probably one of the bases for thinking that it was started from scratch in the first century is Jesus’ statement to Peter, recorded in Matthew 16:18 (and only there) that “I will build my church.” The assumption is that he is speaking about creating this “church” from a state of non-existence.

The Greek word for “build” in this passage can refer to erecting something new. But it can also refer to continuing construction of something that already exists. An example of this is Romans 15:20 where Paul speaks of building on another man’s foundation.

There are also a couple of mentions of the word “church” in the New Testament that imply its previous existence. In Matthew 18:17 Jesus is talking to his disciples about how to deal with a brother who sins against you. He says to confront the brother alone, then with two or three others. If that doesn’t work, “tell it to the church”. That implies the existence of a church at this time.

Another passage that implies a far older origin for the church is Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:38 where he talks about Moses being with “the church in the wilderness”. (KJV) Some modern translations render this “assembly” because of their preconception of what the “church” is. But it’s the same Greek word, “ekklesia”, that is usually rendered “church”.

The Greek word is derived from a verb meaning “to call out”. So the church is “the called out ones.” It is used of both local gatherings, congregations, and also the worldwide collection of followers of God through Jesus. Incidentally, local gatherings are also referenced with the word “synagogue” as in James 2:2, also usually translated otherwise because of the translator’s presuppositions.

In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the word “ekklesia” occurs many dozens of times, usually to translate the Hebrew word “Qahal” referring to the congregation of Israel. One example of this is in Deuteronomy 9:10 referring to the assembly at Mt. Sinai for the giving of the Torah. It is also used in this sense in Deut. 18:16.

The gathering of Israel at Mt. Sinai was actually the first Pentecost. “Pentecost” is the Greek term for “Shavuot”, the biblical feast of weeks or sevens, based on counting seven weeks after first-fruits, which occurred around Passover. This feast is treated in the Bible as a harvest festival and is never specifically equated to the Sinai experience, but the chronology given in Exodus 19 seems to line up pretty closely. Additionally, the parallels with the Sinai experience lead me to think of the Acts 2 celebration of Pentecost as the Sinai of the New Covenant.

Most of the time, “ekklesia” was used in the Septuagint of the assembly of Israel, gathered as a nation. One example among many of this use is in I Kings 8:14 when Solomon is dedicating the temple. The word is used this way frequently in the historical books and the Psalms (e.g. 22:22).

Since Paul explains in his New Testament epistles that Gentile believers in Jesus are added to the covenant community of Israel (Rom. 11:17; Eph. 2:11, 13, 19; 3:6), it might be better to think of the “church” as the covenant community of Israel, to which Gentile believers in Jesus are added. The Gentile believers in the early second century made the mistake of ceasing to think of themselves as identified with Israel. It’s time we got back to the New Testament teaching of our identity in Jesus being connected with God’s covenant people, Israel.

Foreigners and Sabbath

We often tend to think that in the time before the life of Jesus, God was working exclusively with the nation of Israel, and in the time since he works mostly with Gentile believers. This may be generally true. Paul expresses in Ephesians 3 the mystery that was not made known in earlier times. “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (3:6)

But this division is not nearly as clear cut as we tend to think. For one thing, the “church” has not replaced Israel in God’s working, as many like to think. This passage in Ephesians emphasizes that Gentiles who turn to God through Jesus are joined together with Israel. In Romans 11 Paul uses the metaphor of wild olive branches grafted into a cultivated olive tree to show how Gentiles become part of covenant Israel when they turn to God through Jesus.

But an interesting part of this issue is that God folding Gentiles in with Israel is not really anything new. We recall that when Israel left Egypt, they were joined by a “mixed multitude”. (Exodus 12:38) Throughout the Pentateuch instructions are given, mostly for the observance of holy days, and it is emphasized that “the same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you”. (Exodus 12:49 – cp. Leviticus 24:22; Numbers 15:15, 29)

We also have examples of Gentiles/foreigners who attached themselves to Israel, such as Ruth. Her passionate plea to Naomi that “your people will be my people and your God my God” ought to resonate with all Gentiles who believe in Jesus today.

Jesus also references the integration of Gentiles into Israel when he presents himself as the good shepherd in John 10. “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (10:16)

There is a passage that’s less well-known but deals with this same theme in Isaiah 56. Here Isaiah addresses two groups of people who were considered to be somewhat out of God’s favor, foreigners and eunuchs. He gives the same message to each, a message of welcome and inclusion followed by an urging to righteous living and a sense of the reward to follow.

It’s worth noting what Isaiah records God as saying to these groups in his instruction for righteous living. We can get some sense of God’s priorities in passages like this. To the eunichs he says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant…” (56:4)

To the foreigners he says, “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant…” (56:6) The list to foreigners is a little longer, but both include keeping the Sabbath and holding fast to his covenant.

It’s interesting that there are verses in the immediate vicinity, both preceding and following, that address the importance in God’s eyes of keeping the Sabbath. “This is what the LORD says: ‘Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.'” (56:1-2) “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” (58:13-14)

It is, in my view, a major tragedy that in the second century the bulk of “Christianity” turned against Israel (the Jews) and against God’s law. Admittedly it was mostly driven by the Fiscus Judaicus, an onerous tax on Jews and those who lived similarly. But in trying to distance themselves from the Jews by establishing different days of worship and festivals than the biblical ones, Gentile believers surrendered much of God’s approval and blessing.

God was fairly clear in the Hebrew scriptures which day he considered to be the Sabbath, and there is no hint of a change of day in the New Testament. “The Lord’s day” in Isaiah 58:13 is clearly the seventh-day Sabbath.

The issue among believers is not “worshiping on Sundays”. It’s a good thing to worship God on any day of the week. The problem is in not giving the regard to the seventh day that God commanded. I urge those Gentile believers in Jesus who really want to follow God’s priorities to set aside Saturday (Friday sunset until Saturday sunset) as a holy day and refrain from doing work and normal day-to-day activities. This should be done not to try to earn God’s favor, but out of love for him and obedience to his commands.