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Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 09:09:58 +0200
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: The Scriptures opened, 46
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP
Contents
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1. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - The Prophet
2. 2 Samuel 7 - The prophecy of Nathan, part 1
1. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - The Prophet
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Reading: Deut.16:18 - 21:9
15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;
unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God
in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God,
neither let me see this great fire any more,
that I die not.
17 And the LORD said unto me,
They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee,
and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 And it shall come to pass,
[that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words
which he shall speak in my name,
I will require [it] of him.
What we have here is, in short, a prophecy of the Messiah, Who will be
a Mediator between the people and God. He will speak God's Words, and
anyone who shall not hear to Him, will be punished.
These things will be explained more thorough.
The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;
unto him ye shall hearken;
Moses tells the people that there will be raised up from their midst a
great Prophet, like unto him. This prophet is the Messiah, and in the
book of Acts, it is applied to Jesus Christ, the only true Messiah.
"For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your
God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you." (Acts 3:22)
According to Moses' words, the prophet must be like unto him. Now, we
know that in the entire Old Testament never any prophet is risen up,
who was like unto Moses. Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old
Testament; nobody surpassed him. But in the New Testament, Jesus is
set before us. He is a very great Prophet, not only like unto Moses,
but much greater. And God expressly requires of us, that we shall hear
Him: "Unto Him ye shall hearken". So, reader, you know what God asks
you to do. Hear unto Jesus, the greatest Prophet, taken from the midst
of the Jews, risen up by God.
It is said that the Prophet, namely Jesus Christ, will be like unto
Moses. This appears from the following points.
1. Moses was real human, from the seed of Abraham.
Also Christ was a real man, from the seed of Abraham.
2. Moses led the people out the slavery of Egypt.
Also Jesus led His people out of the slavery of sin.
3. Moses stood between the people and God in the covenant of the
law.
Also Jesus stood between the people and God, in the covenant
of grace.
4. Moses was faithful in his entire office.
Also Jesus Christ was faithful in all His works.
5. Moses was a great prophet.
Jesus was the greatest Prophet, yea, the Head of all prophets.
So, we see that it is said with enough ground, that Jesus was a
Prophet, like unto Moses.
According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God
in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God,
neither let me see this great fire any more,
that I die not.
When the LORD God gave the Ten Commandments, He let that happening be
accompanied by such terrible phenomena, that the people feared
exceedingly much. "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking:
and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off." (Exodus
20:18) All those things, the thunderings, the lightnings, the noise of
the trumpet, the smoking mountain, all these were too much for the
people. They exceedingly feared. They no longer dared to hear God's
words directly, but they asked that Moses might be their mediator
between God and them. God's majesty was too high for them; too
terrifying. They were not able to hear the words of God without great
dread. They said to Moses: "Let me not hear again the voice of the
LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die
not." This is God without Mediator: Fire, Lightning, Dread,
Thundering, Smoking, Trumpet-noise; in short, a devouring Fire.
"Moses", said the people, "please be our mediator between God and us,
lest we die".
And the LORD said unto me,
They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken.
When the people asked Moses to be their mediator between God and them,
the LORD gave their desire: "They have well spoken that which they
have spoken", namely that they wished a mediator.
I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee,
and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Moses was their mediator during their time in the desert, but the LORD
promised another Mediator, namely the Messiah. "I will raise them up a
Prophet:", namely Jesus Christ, the LORD and Messiah, "from among
their brethren", like unto Moses. God would put His words into His
mouth. So, that means that Jesus spoke God's words. "And He shall
speak unto them all that I shall command Him". As we know, the New
Testament contains the words, which God put in the mouth of Jesus, the
promised Prophet. Listen then to Him, reader. Approaching God directly
has never been possible without great terror. The people of old had
God's prophets, speaking to them. But these prophets no longer live.
Instead of them, we have Jesus, a Prophet given by God. Do not
imagine, that you can without Him, since, when you approach God
without Him, you will experience an unbearable terror and dread,
according to Scripture. If you then think to pray to God without Jesus
as a Mediator, and you experience no terror, it is sure that you pray
not to God, but to nothing. Don't deceive yourself by praying to
nothing. Without Mediator, you will experience terror; when you
experience it not, you pray not.
And it shall come to pass,
[that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words
which he shall speak in my name,
I will require [it] of him.
Whosoever will not listen to God's words, which Jesus shall speak in
His Name, God will require it of him. So, all despisers of Jesus, they
have to expect God's punishments. He is the great Prophet given,
greater then Moses, promised of old, taken out His brethren, speaking
God's Words, being a necessary Mediator between God and us, being the
true Messiah. "Whosoever will not hearken unto My words", says the
LORD God, "which He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him".
So, what is there to do? If there is anybody, who cannot believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, let Him pray to God, if He will reveal the truth
unto Him. Who prays in all sincerity, who expects his salvation from
nobody else but God, who prays in true faith - it is sure that God
will reveal the truth concerning the Messiah to him.
2. 2 Samuel 7 - The prophecy of Nathan, part 1
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Outline of the chapter:
1-2 David has settled down, and wishes to build a house for the
LORD.
3 The prophet Nathan praises this.
4-7 But God immediately forbids David's plans, through Nathan.
8-17 God repeats the great benefits which He has bestowed on David in
the past, and gives a promise of a still greater future. His son
Solomon will build the house of the LORD, and the Messiah would
arise from his seed.
18-22David is very surprised at this, he rejoiced in it, and he
heartily thanks the Lord.
1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the
LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; 2
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in
an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that [is] in thine
heart; for the LORD [is] with thee.
"And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had
given him rest round about from all his enemies". David was a king of
wars, but at the moment, the LORD had given him a while of rest. In
the previous chapters, we read about wars. Also in the next chapters,
there are wars enough. But for now, the Lord had given him rest. We
know, that all wars and all rest comes to us from the hand of God.
There is nothing, but it is done by Him. When we read, that God gave
him rest from "all his enemies", than we understand that there were
many enemies round about him. Israel was surrounded by the enemies.
The heathen continually attacked the true people of God. Until this
day, matters have not changed. Also now, all who wishes to serve God,
will find an abundance of enemies round about him. But, as in the time
of David the Lord gave rest, He also now is able to give us rest for a
while, that we may rejoice in God, and have a short while of peace.
Often, the Sabbaths are for us days of rest, amidst of the struggle of
this life.
And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the
LORD had given him rest, "that the king said unto Nathan the prophet,
See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth
within curtains." While David had some rest, and was at his ease, he
sat in his house. He looked to his house, and he saw the great
difference between his own luxurious house, and the humble house of
God. He dwelled in a house of cedar, wood of durable quality, wood of
a pretty brown colour, and giving a sweet smell of resin when it is
still new. David saw his high state, and the low state of God's
dwelling-place, namely within the curtains. The ark of God stood still
in the tabernacle, a tent of curtains. David was now settled down, but
the ark still showed the journey through the desert. David was but a
human king, but he lived princely. God, the King of kings, dwelled in
a humble house of curtains. David saw this difference, and felt that
this was not good. That was it, what he meant, when he said to Nathan,
the prophet: "See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of
God dwells within curtains" He still had not said, that he therefore
wished to build a temple, but Nathan immediately understood him.
Therefore the prophet said: "Go, do all that is in thine heart; for
the LORD is with thee." Nathan also had seen the difference between
the royal palace, and the low tabernacle of God. Therefore, without
asking God's word, he approved of David's plans.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD
came unto Nathan, saying,
In the night, after Nathan had approved of David's plans to build a
temple, the word of the LORD came unto Nathan. Nathan had, without
asking God's approval, agreed with David in the building of the
temple, and he would have continued herein, when not the Lord had come
to him, saying that he was wrong. It was, of course, not wrong to wish
to build a house for the LORD, but it was wrong to do that without
asking God. David and Nathan wished to honour God by building a house
for Him, but they forgat that honouring God must happen according to
His will, and not according to our considerations. But the word of the
LORD came to Nathan, to prevent him from doing things with good
intention, but too rashly.
The word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou
build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas I have not dwelt in [any] house since the time that I
brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this
day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
Thus says the LORD, "Shall you build Me a house for Me to dwell in?"
That means, "You shall surely not build a house for Me." It is said,
that God dwells in some house, when He exhibits Himself there more
then anywhere else. When He dwells in a temple, His glory is there,
and will be experienced. When He dwells in a church, during the
preaching of the Word of His grace, the hearers will experience it in
themselves, that God dwells there, and that He gives the power to the
Word.
David, says God, you shall not build a house for Me. For, I have
never dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up your fathers
out of Egypt, to this day. But I have walked in a tent, not dwelt
therein. I have walked in a tabernacle, and not dwelt at rest.
7 In all [the places] wherein I have walked with all the
children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of
Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why
build ye not me an house of cedar?
The sense of this verse is, that God had never given any command to
any, to build Him a house. So, why should David now, without command,
build one? Yes, God commanded the children of Israel to build Him a
house of curtains, but not one of cedar. David, you understand now,
that there is no reason for you, to build any house for Me. We learn
from this, that nothing without any express command, is acceptable for
the LORD. When we wish to serve the Lord, let we listen to His will,
revealed in Scripture, and obey Him according that rule. Let nobody
imagine to serve God by any human-made rule. "In vain they do worship
me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9)
8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
In this verse, we see how David must learn to be nothing before the
LORD. Let nobody think that he is somewhat, since everybody is
nothing. Not David will do something for God, but God has done all for
David. God, the LORD of hosts, says: "I took you from the sheepcote,
and made you a ruler over Israel". I took you out of a humble
condition, with the sheep, to set you in a honourable place, to be
ruler over Israel. "I took you from following the sheep, and set you
one going before all Israel" You were walking after the sheep, but I
made you walking before the people. David, you must learn that you are
but a man, and that God is God. It was but My favour, David, why you
now sit in such a high place; you have nothing of yourself.
Let then everybody of us, who has reached a high position,
ascribe no honour or power to himself, so as to ascribe it to his
intelligence, or to something else of him. Let nobody glory in
himself, but let we all glory in the LORD. "Thus saith the LORD, Let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him
that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me,
that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgement, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the
LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23,24)
9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut
off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a
great name, like unto the name of the great [men] that are in
the earth.
Not David was strong in the wars, but the LORD was mighty. Not David
cut off all enemies, but the LORD fought for him. Not David, through
his manifold victories, made himself a great name, but the LORD gave
him that name. Why was David prosperous? Because the LORD was with
him, whithersoever he went. And that is also the thing, whereof we
have need. When anyone decides to do something, let him or her first
be sure, that it is the will of God. And secondly, let him be sure
that the LORD is with him. For, when He is not with us, what will we
do? All what we begin will fail. "Except the LORD build the house,
they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the
watchman waketh [but] in vain." (Psalms 127:1) But when God is with
one, he will prosper in all his doings. "Say ye to the righteous, that
it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their
doings." (Isaiah 3:10)
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Teus Benschop -- t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Listowner of chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web: https://christian.net/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
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