Tag Archives: Hebrew Bible

Jesus in the Songs of Ascents

Posted on

A Song of Ascents
Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! (Psalms 120:5)

The first “Song of Ascents” tells us Israel is in exile.

Glance through the surrounding pages to see this same superscript is repeated. In fact, Psalms 120–134 are all introduced “A Song of Ascents.” Understood in its context, this refers to Israel’s “coming up” out of Babylonian captivity. As each psalm shows us a little more we begin to see the journey from exile to Jerusalem.

Psalm 121 reminds us that the Lord is our keeper, he’ll keep our going out and coming in (verse 8). Psalm 122 directs us to a restored Jerusalem as our hope and prayer (verse 5). And a “restored Jerusalem” is a Jerusalem under the kingship of Messiah (verse 6). Then Psalm 123 defines our hope — “our eyes look to the Lord our God.” (verse 2). The Lord
alone is our salvation. And Psalm 124 assures us of this by recounting Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (verses 1–5). Psalm 125 interjects a vision of Jerusalem once more. Mount Zion (Jerusalem) is the picture of one who trusts in the Lord. This person, like Jerusalem, will not be moved but abides forever. Psalm 126 longs for this reality, “Restore our fortunes, O Lord!” (verse 4).

But wait. Right now we’re in Meschech. Reading Psalm 120 puts us surrounded by the tents of Kedar. Where they hate peace.

And as it was with the psalmist so it is with us, the readers. “We mourn in lonely exile here.” But it’s not lonely because the Son of God has come. He came and lived and suffered and died and was buried, then raised and ascended and enthroned. That’s when he sent the Spirit, the Helper, who indwells us now as a guarantee and validates our sonship by his witness (John 14:15–17; Ephesians 1:14; Romans 8:16).

So we’re not lonely, but we are waiting.

Jesus said he’d come back (John 14:3) — we’ve not yet seen his face. Paul said our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) — do you read the paper here?

Then Peter gives us (yes, all Christians) a helpful phrase: “elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1, 17). That’s what we are. We’re exiles. We’re waiting.

And waiting is hard to do. We get the sorrowful part in 2 Corinthians 6:10. It is an age of groaning (Romans 8:23). It feels a lot like Meschech.

________

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord . . . (Psalm 127:3)

So Israel is in exile, but there is hope. Our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us (Psalm 123:2). These are the “Songs of Ascents” after all. Israel is coming up out of her captivity. We are headed to a restored Jerusalem.

From exile to a restored Jerusalem. We’ve seen this idea by the time we come to Psalm 127 and now it get’s a little clearer. Exactly how is this movement going to happen? How will we go from here to there?

Let’s talk about children.

This moving from here to there is only going to happen if the Lord himself does it. All our waiting is vain unless he shows up. And children are a heritage from the Lord. The sudden shift to children is no accident. The psalmist is refining our hope. The restored Jerusalem and the Lord‘s work are associated with the blessing of children.

But it’s not just any children. Not at this point in the story, not in this “drama of the Son.” Since Genesis 3:15 we’ve been looking for one born of a woman. Then for the offspring of Abraham (Genesis 12:3). Then for the descendent of David, the Son whose kingdom will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:13). We’re looking for this Son. He’s the locus of our hope.

The superscript is another step to help us see this. This psalm in the Songs of Ascents has an additional line. “A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.” Solomon? Yes. A son of David. The psalmist wants us to know that all our waiting is targeted on this Son. So the line about Solomon makes us think “David’s son” and, perhaps, it also means to put Solomon in the same place as us. Maybe he knows (like we find out in 1 Kings) that he’s not the promised one.

We begin to hear the message: Solomon has come and gone . . . and we’re still looking for the Son.

And while we, after the Nativity, are not so much looking for the Son, we are looking to him. Jerusalem is not yet new and we know the only way it will be is by this One.

________

A Song of Ascents
There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. (Psalm 132:17)

Psalm 132 is the longest and clearest of the Songs of Ascents. As we’ve seen in the earlier psalms, we are coming up out of exile in hopes of a restored Jerusalem. Psalm 132 tells us why this Jerusalem is so special: it is the place of God’s dwelling and the throne of his anointed.

Two concepts come together in this city: the Lord‘s presence (the ark) and the Lord‘s reign (Davidic kingship). This is what makes it the zip code of our dreams. These two things. The place where God dwells. Where his presence is known. Where his nearness is felt. And the domain of his power. The execution of his authority. The government of his righteousness.

The psalmist is looking for this place. He wants to go there. Then in the fullness of time, in a person, God sends it all here. The presence and kingship come in a baby. A horn sprouts for David. Jesus is God with us (Matthew 1:22–23). And Jesus is the King (Matthew 2:5–6) — both of Israel and the nations (Matthew 2:11).

Don’t miss it, though. Psalm 132 isn’t really fulfilled in the Gospels. It’s more like a bullet straight to Revelation 21. The picture here is post-Golgotha. This horn of David will see his enemies clothed in shame (Psalm 132:18). He won’t be wearing a crown of thorns then.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb [the descendant of David]. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb . (Revelation 21:22–23; 22:16)

No longer will there by anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. (Revelation 21:3)

Here is the vision of ultimate Christmas merriment.

We know that Jesus has come and that he will come again. Christmas is the time to celebrate his birth and long for his return.

Originally posted at Desiring God. 

Jesus Is the Walk-Off Homer

Posted on

Hebrews 7:3 —

He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

Melchizedek resembled the Son of God. But Melchizedek appear quite a while before Jesus came to earth. How is it that a past figure can be said to “resemble” (aphomoioo) a future figure? Jesus doesn’t resemble Melchizedek, Melchizedek resembles Jesus.

This fits right in line with the copy talk of Hebrews (Heb. 8:5) and it underscores the telic magnitude of Jesus Christ. He is the definite end. He is the point. He is the one to whom all the Old Testament Scriptures have pointed. And the one to whom all will bow.

He is the walk-off homer.

John Sailhamer’s ‘The Meaning of the Pentateuch’

Posted on

419e78r2soL._SL500_AA240_

No one has influenced me more in how I read the Bible than John Sailhamer.

His newest work, The Meaning of the Pentateuch, is out and is already being enjoyed by many. Andy Witt and a league of former Sailhamer students are discussing the book on the blog, The Meaning of the Pentateuch.

The discussion begins around Thanksgiving, so ‘save the date’ and tune in later this month to observe some helpful dialogue and analysis on this eagerly anticipated book.

You can learn more from Andy Witt.

We are Not Good, He is Good, We Partake in His Goodness: The Psalter Shows us Messiah

Posted on

The majesty of Psalm 16 is undeniably clear. It was the hub of Peter’s first apostolic sermon in Acts 2:29-36. The Messianic overtones are smooth and captivating…. “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol!” (16:10a).

And I think its vividness is enjoyed all the more when we observe the previous two psalms. There is thesis and antithesis. Psalm 14 calls the atheist a fool. The diagnosis is impartial, for we are all the fools. The LORD looks to see if there are any who understand (v. 2), followed by they have all turned aside (v. 3). This is not a put-down to people’s intellectual ability, it is the accurate description of us all. Thesis: There is none good, not even one.

Herein comes the opposite, who will dwell on God’s holy hill? It is the one who walks blamelessly. The one who is full of truth, who doesn’t lie or do wickedness, i.e., not the guy described in Psalm 14 (see also Ps 1-2). That is where Psalm 15 is– describing the person who we are not. Antithesis: There is One good and we are not Him.

The intro is of faith in this Good Man similar to the conclusion of Psalm 1-2, “for in you I take refuge” (v.1). Then there is the synthesis of Psalm 14-15. “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you” (v. 2). The Psalter would tell us, “Indeed, I am a dumb man, a fool. I am not good and I am not that man in Psalm 15. But the Messiah is. And He is our good.” And this is where there is the language that soars concluding with the Messiah’s resolute trust in the resurrection and the declaration of holy ecstasy in God, to be enjoyed forevermore. Synthesis: We’re not good, there is One good, we partake in His goodness.

By grace, we can say together…

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

 


Jesus Christ in the Psalms: About Him and For Us in the Fight of Faith

Posted on

A sweet revolution occurred in my life when I began to learn that the Psalms were all about the Messiah. I love the Psalms and they have always been a part of my life in Jesus. It was like scales falling from my eyes when I stopped trying to read every psalm and see myself in it. I quit translating the psalmist’s language to my current situations. They were not about me, they were about Jesus Christ and from 1 to 150 it is His glory that reverberates. The Psalter shows me Jesus there and He is glorious.

This time through I am learning more clearly the other part. True, the Psalms are about Jesus. And while they are not about me, they are for me. The Psalms are about Jesus and for me us. 

For what we and the Psalter have in common is the fight of faith. It unites the people of God ever since there was one–it is trust in God’s promised Messiah. The Psalter is jealous for it and yearns for us to have it too. He doesn’t aim just for us to see the Messiah… but for us to hope in Him, take refuge in Him, worship Him. Even when circumstances say otherwise, when stuff doesn’t add up.

Let us listen to psalms and struggle through together with the Psalter to hold fast to Jesus Christ.

The Insurmountable Blessing of God: Messiah

Posted on

We see an important section in the Pentateuch in the oracles of Balaam found in Numbers 22-24.  This is a summarizing peak of the theology at work across the five-part Book. Some similar themes come up that send us back in the narrative, specifically the Exodus.

The people of Israel as seen as the recipients of God’s blessing and someone is trying to thwart that blessing (Exod. 1:9-10; Num. 22:5-6; cf. Gen 12:1-3).

There are three attempts to curse Israel…

  1. Afflicted with heavy burdens (Exod 1:11-14)…. Balaam’s first oracle (Num 23:1-12)
  2. Kill the male children (Exod 1:15-21)… Balaam’s second oracle (Num 23:13-30)
  3. Cast male children in the Nile (Exod 1:22)… Balaam’s third oracle (Num 24:1-14)

Each attempt is subverted by the blatant and even ironic sovereignty of God. A baby boy was cast into the Nile, but he was put into a mini “ark” and was actually saved by Pharaoh’s daughter who, unbeknown to her, let his own mother nurse him. Balaam actually blesses Israel and tells of her Messiah in language that echoes and points forward…

a star shall come out of Jacob.

and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

it shall crush the forehead of Moab…

(Num 24:17; cf. Gen 49:10; Gen 3:15)

(See John H. Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary, 136-138)

So What About How I Read the Bible- Part 1

Posted on

It is good for me to often revisit the question of “so what?”

If I settle on a hermeneutic that is literary-canonical instead of grammatical-historical, why does it really matter? Authorial intent instead of sensus plenior, who cares? Bla, bla, bla…

What difference does it make to the congregation that one day I hope to shepherd?

The Apostle Peter says there is significance. 1 Peter 1:10-12 is about hermeneutics. He tells us something amazing about the prophets, and then he tells us “therefore…”

Peter writes that the prophets knew that they were writing for us about the “sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” He tells us that they were writing for us about the gospel message we have heard. And then he says, “Therefore… set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:13). The OT authors intended what they wrote about Christ to be for you, so then (Aorist Active Imperative 2nd plural) “you set your hope fully” on Christ. You believe completely, unwaveringly. You exert a relentless faith in Jesus Christ and the grace that is yours in Him.

This is the pastoral application and its beautiful significance. This is the “so what?” described by the apostle…  How we view the Hebrew Bible is not arbitrary. The authorial understanding of 1:10-12 enkindles our faith in Jesus Christ and all that He is for us.