Tag: 2 Samuel 7

Following the Thread of Covenant

Author Elizabeth Woodson explains, “In the Bible covenants are the major thread that connect the sixty-six books of the Bible into one unified story.”1 A covenant is a sacred and binding promise between two parties. Let’s follow the thread of major covenants in Scripture that weave together to reveal God’s incredible plan to redeem fallen humanity and restore His kingdom. The chart below provides a quick overview, but don’t miss the encouraging details that follow it.

Covenant & Scripture ReferenceParties InvolvedBrief
Overview
Edenic & Adamic
Genesis 1-3		God & Adam, EveDominion over Earth
Cultural Mandate
Sin results in Death
Noahic
Genesis 6-9		God & NoahEarth would never again be destroyed by flood
Abrahamic
Genesis 12, 15, 17
Reiterated to Isaac in Genesis 26:2-6 & Jacob in Genesis 28:13-14		God & AbrahamLand, Descendants, Blessing
Mosaic/ Sinai/ Old
Exodus 19-24		God & IsraelitesBlessings & Curses based on obedience
Davidic
2 Samuel 7		God & DavidKingdom will endure & offspring will rule eternally
New Covenant
Hebrews 9:15
2 Corinthians 5:21		God & Repentant PeopleFaith in Christ and acceptance of His atoning sacrifice that reconciles people to God

Adamic & Edenic Covenant: This is a two-part covenant. The Edenic Covenant spells out how males and females together were created in God’s image and given dominion over the earth. They were given the cultural mandate to be fruitful and multiply physically as well as spiritually and culturally—to advance God’s kingdom in His creation. Eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden and would result in death. 

The Adamic Covenant comes as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin: there will be hostility between Satan and the descendants of Eve, pain in childbearing for women, difficulty in work, death for all living things. Despite all of the negative consequences, God also gave hope that Eve’s offspring would one day crush the serpent’s head (Galatians 4:4, 1 John 3:8 and Ephesians 1:19-23 clarify this is Jesus.) So, even in the midst of pronouncing a curse due to sin and disobedience, God shows grace in providing the hope of salvation. 

Noahic Covenant:  In this unconditional covenant, God promised He would never flood the earth again. God provided a visual sign of this covenant: “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” (Genesis 9:14-15, NIV) 

“The lesson to us is that when we see a rainbow we should always be reminded of God’s faithfulness and His amazing grace. We should also be reminded that our God is a holy and righteous God who has a holy hatred for sin and who will not allow sin to go unpunished forever. Also, just as God provided a way for Noah and his family to be saved in the ark, He also has provided a way for us to be saved through Jesus Christ. Noah and his family were saved from the wrath of God that came in the flood, just as those who are in Christ are saved from the ‘wrath to come’ (1 Thessalonians 1:10).”2

Abrahamic Covenant: This unconditional covenant was promised in Genesis 12, sealed with a ceremony recorded in Genesis 15, and identified by the sign of circumcision in Genesis 17. It promises land, a multitude of descendants, and blessing to and through Abraham’s descendants that affects “all peoples on earth.” (Genesis 12:3, NIV) “This promise finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Luke 22:20), which was ratified by Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham and Redeemer who will one day ‘restore everything’ (Acts 3:21).”3

Mosaic Covenant: This conditional covenant was made while the Israelites were traveling in the desert from Egypt to the promised land after being freed from 400+ years of slavery. God was establishing them as a nation with a distinct identity and creating their laws and culture.

“It is important to understand that the Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the Abrahamic Covenant and later biblical covenants because it is conditional in that the blessings that God promises are directly related to Israel’s obedience to the Mosaic Law. If Israel is obedient, then God will bless them, but if they disobey, then God will punish them. The blessings and curses that are associated with this conditional covenant are found in detail in Deuteronomy 28.”4 

The Israelites failed to uphold their commitment to obey God and suffered serious consequences. Thankfully, other covenants found in the Bible are unilateral covenants of promise made by God. He fulfills what He promises regardless of whether the recipients are faithful or not. 

Davidic Covenant: In this unconditional covenant, God promises to give His people a place where they can be planted and “have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.” (2 Sam 7:10b, NIV) He also promises David “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Sam 7:16, NIV) 

In addition to referring to Solomon, David’s son who would inherit his throne, this covenant establishes “Another Son of David would rule forever and build a lasting House. This is a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called the Son of David in Matthew 21:9.”5

New Covenant: This covenant was predicted by Moses (Deuteronomy 29 & 30), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-33) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:26-27) It is between God and repentant people who accept Christ’s atoning sacrifice on their behalf.

The New Covenant promises God’s forgiveness and restored fellowship with Him for those whose hearts choose Him. “Under the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our responsibility is to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9–11), we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God (Hebrews 9:15).”6

Under the Old/ Mosaic Covenant, the blood of animals had to be sacrificed regularly by priests in the Tabernacle to atone for the sins of the people. The book of Hebrews describes the contrast between the Old and New Covenants: “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:13-15, NIV)

Like a beautiful tapestry with many colors and textures, Scripture weaves together a variety of stories. Despite covering thousands of years and numerous generations, the thread of God’s faithfulness shown through His covenants and the promise of the Messiah remains consistent. Stop for a minute and marvel at God’s ability to tend to both the smallest details and the grand scheme of the narrative at the same time. He alone is worthy of our praise!

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Christmas Story Symmetry

Recognizing that events in the Old Testament have direct and specific links to ones in the New Testament inspires awe, reminding me that the original concept of symmetry came from the Creator himself.

vitruvian-man

Perhaps you’ve seen a sketch of Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man, which depicts the amazing symmetry of the human body and shows a beautiful merging of art, science and math.  In case you’ve forgotten what you learned in high school art class, symmetry is the balance and consistency of pattern on opposite sides.  If you drew a vertical line down the middle of DaVinci’s drawing above, there would be correlating parts on each side that matched up with one another. You see symmetry in art, architecture, interior design and living beings.

Recently I came across a different kind of symmetry that is more about stories and events in Scripture that balance and complement one another. I wanted to learn about the town  of Bethlehem by looking at the different places it’s mentioned.  What I discovered  were some parallels between the Old and New Testaments I hadn’t noticed before. It appears that the One who designed us to have beautifully symmetrical bodies also orchestrated symmetrical events in Scripture. Here are a few that stand out to me:

Ruth and the Shepherds

The book of Ruth tells the story of a Moabite woman who traveled to Bethlehem with her Israelite mother-in-law to live there after the deaths of their husbands. As a poor, foreign widow, Ruth was about as low in social status as a person could be. Her means of survival came from picking up leftover grain in a field just outside the town of Bethlehem owned by a kind and godly man named Boaz. He would later become her husband and father a child that would be in the line of King David and ultimately, the Messiah.

Now fast-forward in history to the book of Luke, where we read that on the night of Jesus’ birth angels appeared to startled shepherds tending their flocks on the outskirts of Bethlehem. Like Ruth, these men would have been societal outcasts. In spite of their unimpressive status, God chose to send angels to them to announce the birth of his son, the Messiah.

It’s beautiful symmetry set up over a thousand years apart. In both cases, God revealed himself to lowly people in a field outside Bethlehem. In that place he showed his provision to Ruth and his glory to the shepherds. And in both instances, he revealed his accessibility to all people, regardless of their social standing or nationality.

David, Mary & Joseph

Bethlehem appears again in the story of David, one of the most prominent kings in Israelite history. In 1 Samuel 16 we learn that David’s original home was in Bethlehem. Later in 2 Samuel 7 God promised David that through him he would establish a family line that would endure forever, ultimately producing the Messiah.

About a thousand years later, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for a census. Since both were from the family line of David they were required to register there. Soon after arriving, Mary gave birth to Jesus, the One who would save the world from sin and fulfill God’s promise that David’s family line would endure forever.

I love the symmetry of this ancient promise to a powerful king from Bethlehem being fulfilled in that very place through a humble and willing peasant girl.

Micah and The Magi

Micah prophesied about the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem roughly 800 years before it occurred saying, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2, NIV)

Eight centuries later, an unusual star appeared in the sky, catching the notice of a group of scholars from the east (Matthew 2 refers to them as Magi). These men traveled to Jerusalem in search of the King of the Jews that the star heralded, logically assuming that a king would be born in the capital city. After arriving, they inquired of King Herod: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Because he was not a Jew, King Herod consulted with the chief priests and scribes to learn where the Messiah was to be born. They answered by quoting Micah 5:2, the same passage written above. Despite being gentiles, the Magi had come to worship the Jewish king, revealing their understanding that he was accessible to Jews and non-Jews alike.

Don’t miss the beautiful symmetry of Micah’s prophesy in the Old Testament and the fact that it is quoted in the New Testament to guide the Magi to Jesus. Also, think of the symmetry between the Magi, who were wealthy, educated gentiles from a foreign land and the shepherds who were poor, uneducated locals with Jewish blood running through their veins. God revealed himself to people at opposite ends of the spectrum, showing us that Jesus is the Savior of all and available to all regardless of any human distinctions such as race, creed, nationality, social status, financial status, or education level. He welcomes all who genuinely seek him with humble hearts.

For me, seeing the bigger scope of God’s plan makes the miracle of Christmas even more powerful. Recognizing that events in the Old Testament have direct and specific links to ones in the New Testament inspires awe, reminding me that the original concept of symmetry came from the Creator himself. I pray that like me, you will find moments to be awe-struck by God this Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah for all people.

I understand so much more about “the hopes and fears of all the years” after studying Bethlehem’s significance from Old Testament to New. Click on the link and enjoy a new version of an old favorite: “O Little Town (The Glory of Christmas)” by Matt Redman.

Continue reading “Christmas Story Symmetry”