Christ in 2 Samuel

~ Jesus Christ Is The Greater David ~

The Bible is about Jesus Christ  ~  “Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

In First and Second Samuel we see glimpses or foreshadowings of Jesus Christ as the prophesied Son of David, our Trusted Prophet, and the Anointed One. 

In Second Samuel Jesus Christ is foreshadowed as the Son of David, the Greater David, and the Princely King.  “When your [David] days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever.  I will be His Father, and He shall be My son…  But My mercy shall not depart from Him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-14a, 15-16). 

comment:  Does God keep His promises?  Of course!  While it is true that there would not always be a descendant of David presiding over Israel, the lineage of David continued.  About a thousand years after King David’s death Jesus Christ came to earth through the lineage of David (Matthew 1).  Interestingly, the phrase “Son of David” is one of the more common titles used to describe Jesus Christ throughout the New Testament.  It is also of note that David was the final person in the Scriptures to whom Jesus Himself attached His identity.  “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).  “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.  I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).  At the very close of our Bible Jesus reasserts that He is in the lineage of King David. 

additional comment:  Compare the following three pairs of passages from Scripture. 

“I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son.  If He commits iniquity, I will chasten Him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men” (2 Samuel 7:14). 

“For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You?"  And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’?” (Hebrews 1:5). 

 “The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence” (2 Samuel 22:3).  The Hebrew writer in quoting Old Testament passages says, “And again: ‘I will put My trust in Him.’  And again: ‘Here am I and the children whom God has given Me’” (Hebrews 2:13). 

“Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name” (2 Samuel 22:50).  “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: ‘For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name’” (Romans 15:8-9). 

The Apostle Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~   

(1)  Approximately once a month ALN posts an overview of how Jesus Christ is seen in a specific book of the Bible.

(2)  In most cases these posts only scratch the surface regarding Jesus Christ in the particular book.

(3)  These posts will typically be in the same order as the books are found in the Bible.

(4)  These serial posts are in addition to our other ALN postings.

(5)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Messiah, 120

~ Messiah’s Listeners Would Not Respond to The Gospel ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people [primary reference is to Israel]: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed’” (Isaiah 6:9-10). 

The Messiah

Jesus said, “The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them’” (Matthew 13:14-15).

 “And He [Jesus Christ] said to them, ‘To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that “Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them”’”  (Mark 4:11-12).  “And He [Jesus Christ] said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that “Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand”’” (Luke 8:10).  “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, ‘Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?’ They said to Him, ‘Twelve.’ ‘Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?’ And they said, ‘Seven.’ So He said to them, ‘How is it you do not understand’?” (Mark 8:17-21). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

Special Note:  This particular Messiah post skipped three numbers in order to accurately reflect the Messiah posts.  (Three of the previous posts contained two prophecies in one post.) 

 (1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

“Tangible Answers to Difficult Questions”

~ Book Review of “Thy Will Be Done On Earth” by The Cypress Times ~

Reproduced immediately below is one of the many positive reviews the book “Thy Will Be Done On Earth” has received.

Book Review by The Cypress Times
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH

Reviewer:  Gail D. Welborn

This timely book equips Christians to find tangible answers to difficult questions in one of the most trying times of our nation's history. It would make an excellent Bible study.

Thy Will Be Done On Earth, Understanding God's Will for You, by Robert Lloyd Russell, Xulon Press, 2008, 192 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-1606474303, $14.99

Christians are told to trust God with their decisions, even when those decisions are life-altering and certain to change their circumstances.  How can we gain confidence that our decisions are God's will for us?  Some Christians say they discern God's will with what is called “open and closed doors.”  In other words, if everything seems favorable, it must be God's will.  Or, if only problems arise, they decide the plan must not be God's will.  However, Scripture repeatedly clearly demonstrates the disciples lives were not without problems, yet they obeyed God even when the “door” appeared closed.  Russell believes Christians can be misdirected because they're not in what he calls, the “right lane of life's freeway” to discern God's will.  He devised a graphic, molecular model to teach Christians how to determine God's will.

With a Masters Degree in Christian Leadership from Western Seminary, years of teaching adult Sunday school classes and seminars, and life experiences, Russell believes there is a better way to find God’s will.  He developed two molecular models to visually demonstrate traditional Christian truth from a new perspective, and then expanded the models with targeted acronyms for ease of understanding.  Thy Will Be Done, first of six books planned in the Christian Concept Series, presents these materials for the first time outside the classroom.

The first part describes three aspects of God's will, His sovereign, general, and specific will that provide the foundation for the rest of the book.  For instance, God's sovereign will is His absolute, unlimited will, better described as “that which happens.”  God’s general will is “God's desire for mankind.”  God's specific will is “God's desire for you.”  His specific will never contradicts His general will, but may include more than His general will.  And God's specific will is unique to each individual.
The Christian Life Model in part two diagrams God's general will for Christians, while The Christian Guidance Model in part three illustrates how to make correct decisions.
 

Designed for individual or group study, the 26 short chapters build on material from preceding chapters.  The author recommends reading through the book once for an overview before re-reading at a more reflective pace.  “Think and Grow,” a practical application section with reflective questions, ends each chapter with space for readers to journal their thoughts.  The book is well organized and easy to navigate.  Well balanced and supported by Scripture, the author’s thoughts, rooted in God's Word, “direct, encourage and entertain.”  This timely book equips Christians to find tangible answers to difficult questions in one of the most trying times of our nation's history.  It would make an excellent Bible study.  

~ Review by The Cypress Times

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

There is more information about Thy Will Be Done On Earth at the author’s website. 

You may order directly from Amazon or from Xulon Press. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Answered Prayer

~ Do You Understand God’s 4 Answers to Your Prayers? ~

Over my years as a Christian I have found the following summary of answers to prayer to be helpful. The original source of the four terms is unknown.

answer #1: “SLOW”  ~  Your heart is okay and the request is okay but the timing is not right. Have patience because God will grant your request at the proper time. 

answer #2: “GROW”  ~ The timing is okay and the request is okay but your condition is not right. You need to work on your spiritual character before God will grant that particular request.   

answer #3: “NO”  ~  The problem with your request is that the request is not acceptable to God. In this case neither the timing nor you are factors. 

answer #4: “GO”   ~  Your condition is good. The request is good. The timing is good. Therefore God grants your request. 

In chart form these four answers to prayer look like this.

Four Answers to Prayer
	The Timing	Your Condition	The Request	God’s Answer
1	Not right	Okay	Okay	“Slow”
2	Okay	Not right	Okay	“Grow”
3	Okay	Okay	Not right	“No”
4	Okay	Okay	Okay	“Go”

All four responses are “answers to prayer” including when God says “no.” Prayer is not a method for changing God’s mind but rather a way to take hold of God’s willingness to work all things for good on your behalf. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW