In our study of the doctrine of Christ, we have already examined the Pentateal. Now we will move on to several important texts found in historical books and psalms. Historical books tell the story of Israel’s rise and fall, as well as The Development of the Israeli Monarchy. David becomes the model of a king and God’s covenant with him indicates the coming of an even higher king. In the Psalms of Israel, we repeatedly hear Israel’s inspired hopes for the next mesianic king.
One of the most important chapters for understanding biblical Christology in historical books is 2 Samuel 7, this chapter recounts the events surrounding the establishment of the Davídic alliance: David had conquered Jerusalem and brought the ark to the city, and God had given him the rest. of all his enemies (2 Sam 7. 1). At this point, David calls the prophet Nathan and expresses his desire to build one?House? (Hebrew: bayit) for God, a permanent temple instead of a tent. God’s response to David is found in 2 Samuel 7. 4-16.
- God reminds David that from the moment he brought Israel back from Egypt.
- He had walked with the people in the tent (2 Sam 7:4-7).
- It reminds David that he has been with him wherever he has gone.
- Having defeated his enemies (vv.
- 8-9a).
- He then promises David that he will set it as a big name (v.
- 9b.
- NVI).
- God declares that He will give Israel rest from its enemies and make a house for David (vv.
- 10-11).
- And promises that he will establish the kingdom of David’s offspring (v.
- 12).
- He promises that David’s offspring will build a house for God and promise that he will establish the kingdom of David forever (v.
- 13).
God promises, “Will I be your father and he will be my son?”(V. 14a). God warns that He will discipline David’s offspring if he transgresses, but He also promises that his mercy will not deviate from David, as was taken in Saul (v. 14b-15). Finally, God promises David, “But thy home and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; Will your throne be established forever?(V. 16). David’s prayer of gratitude is found in 2 Samuel 7. 18-29. refers to God’s promise as “instructions for all men,” indicating that this covenant will imply the destiny of all mankind (v. 19).
David’s covenant had been anticipated in God’s covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 17: 6). The divine promise of blessing to the nations would be fulfilled through the Davidic King (see 2 Sam 7. 19; Ps 72. 8? 11. 17). The Davidic alliance had also anticipated the Mosaic alliance (see Deut 17. 14-20). The Davidic king would be the expression of God’s theocratic government in Israel; it should reflect the righteous rule of the divine king, and it should also lead Israel to faithfully observe the Mosaic law. The Abrahamic covenant had promised a kingdom and a people for the kingdom of God. The Mosaic covenant stipulated the law of the kingdom; the Davidic covenant now provides a human king for the kingdom.
In Genesis 49. 10, Jacob had prophesied that the scepter would belong to the tribe of Judah, until the coming of the one to whom this royal state actually belonged. This prophecy finds its initial fulfillment in the establishment of davidic royalty. However, the Davidic covenant, aims not only to fulfill the prophecies of the past, but also to move forward, to lay the foundations for Israel’s eschatological hopes The Davídic covenant became the foundation of the messic prophecies of later prophets (see Am 9:11; Is it 9. 6?7). . Promises that have not yet been fulfilled will be fulfilled in the future (see Is 7. 13-25; 16. 5; 55. 3; Jr 30. 8; 33. 14-26; Ez 34. 20?24; 37. 24?25; Bone 3. 5; Zc 6. 12?13; 12. 7 ?8). In the end, these mesinic hopes would be fulfilled in Jesus, the true Son of David (cf. Mt 1. 1; Hch 13. 22-23). Jesus is the Son of David who will build a “home” for God, a new temple made without hands. He is the Son of David whose kingdom is established forever.
Psalm 2 is one of the so-called real or real psalms; as one of the mesianic psalms, he anticipates the complete establishment of the kingdom of the Son of God; encourages people to trust in God and wait for the time when all enemies will be judged and justice established. The psalm contains four subsections: the rebellion of nations (v. 1-3); God’s answer (c. 4-6); The decree of God (v. 7-9) and the reign of the king (c. 10-12).
Verses 7-9 are based on the promises found in the Davindic covenant, especially God’s promise to David: “Will I be his father, and he will be my son?”(2 Sat 7. 14). These verses anticipate the extension of the messiah’s kingdom to the ends of the earth. In the New Testament, God the Father uses words from this section of Psalm 2 (and Isaiah 42. 1) to declare that Jesus is his Son (cf. Mt 3:17). ; 17,5). This psalm teaches us the Messiah; Jesus teaches us.
Psalm 45 is another royal song. It is attributed to Core’s sons and addresses the Davindic king. The first five verses are direct expressions of honor and praise to the king. However, in verses 6-7, the Psalmist seems to look beyond the present-day Davídic king.
Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; The scepter of justice is the scepter of your kingdom. You love justice and abhor evil; therefore, God, your God, anointed you with oil of joy, like none of your companions.
The Hebrew words translated as “Your throne, O God? They have been translated in several ways. They were translated as “Your throne, O God?” (For example, ARA, NVI; KJV, NIV, NASB, NRSV, ESV) . They also translated as: “Is your throne like the throne of God?”(For example, NEB). O: Is it your throne of God?(e. g. BJ, EP). The Seventy supports translation: “Your throne, O God. “The New Testament quotation from this verse of the Seventy also considers this translation (see Hebrews 1. 8).
This translation means that the king is treated here as “God”, and that his throne is identified with the throne of God. However, in verse 7, the Davindic king distinguishes himself from God: “God, your God, anointed you. “As Derek Kidner explains, this type of paradoxical language can only be understood in the light of Christ’s incarnation: “It is an example of old Testament language that breaks down its barriers, to demand more than human realization. “
Psalm 110 is another of the psalms of royalty, one of the most quoted psalms in the whole New Testament (cf. Mt 22. 44; 26,64; Mc 12. 36; 14,62; 16,19; Lk 20,42?44; 22 , 69; Hch 2,34?35; Rom 8. 34; 1C 15. 25; Eph 1:20; Cl 3. 1; Hb 1,3,13; 5,6; 7,17,21; 8,1; 10,12?13; 12,2). According to the title, David was the author, a crucial fact for his interpretation in the New Testament.
The Lord said to my Lord, Sit to my right until I put your enemies under your feet (v. 1).
These introductory lines are important from what they say about the Messianic King. The first words of the verse after the title are C?A yhwh, which indicates that it is an oracle of the Lord. Words? Doni translates as “to my Lord. “It is significant that David refers to the king in this psalm as “my Lord”. Another translation of these words is “my lord”. In short, David himself expresses his submission to the king who must sit at the right hand of God. The authority of this king comes from the Lord, who promises to expand his government by placing all his enemies under his feet (cf. Come out 2. 8, 9). The metaphor of the footrest?(NVI) indicates absolute control.
The Lord will send the scepter of his power from Zion, saying, Master among your enemies. Your people will volunteer on the day of your power; with sacred ornaments, such as the dew that rises from dawn, will be your youth (v. 2-3)
The authority of the Messianic King will extend until all his enemies are forced to recognize his dominion. The interpretation of verse 3 is difficult, but it seems to indicate that the king’s people will voluntarily serve them in battle.
The Lord swore and will not repent: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek (v. 4).
To say that the Lord swore, does it indicate the existence of a solemn oath. In this case, the oath refers to the promises of the covenant he made to David (see 2 Sam 7. 13). He declares, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. “Melchizedek was a priest king in the city of Salem (see Genesis 14:18). Like him, the Davindic king was a priestly king (see 2 Sam 6. 14, 17-18; 1R 8. 14, 55, 62-64). The perfect union between the priesthood and royalty is definitely found only in Jesus (see He 5. 1?10; 7,1?28).
The Lord, to your right, will crush kings on the day of their wrath; judge among the nations; Fill them with corpses; crush heads across the country; on the way, drink in the torrent and pass your head high (v. 5-7)
The last verses of Psalm 110 declare the imminent victory of the Messianic King. Hans-Joachim Kraus usefully summarizes the meaning of this psalm’s statements about the anointed king:?In short, four points should be particularly emphasized: (1) The Lord Himself exalts the king and places him to his right, appoints him, and gives him power as a co-corregent; (2) the induced is considered to be of heavenly birth; (3) was declared a priest (according to Melchizedek’s command); (4) By him and his presence, the Lord, judge of the world and war hero, defeat all enemies?The authors of the New Testament recognized a single figure who accomplished all that this psalm describes, namely Jesus of Nazareth. the psalm would become central to the proclamation of his exaltation.
These are just some of the many texts in historical books and psalms that shed light on the messiah’s person and work. In our next article, we will continue to examine some of the richest mesianic texts in the Old Testament, those found in the writings. prophets.