2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
There is one question that occurred to me as the Lord leads me to learn about congregations: how do we know that God means for Christ to be the head of them? There is no question that this has been pointed out numerous times in the citations I’ve quoted from RO 12 and 1 Corinthians, but we really need to look at the basis for these assertions. That is when the Lord lead me to looking at what is called the Davidic covenant. This will also shed light on all those genealogical lists that appear in GN 5, GN 10, NU, MT 1, and LK 3. When I first began to study the Scriptures many years ago, I ignored these lists, foolishly thinking that they were unimportant. I must thank Dolores Pappas, my instructor for the one-year Precepts class I took on the book of Genesis, for showing me the silliness of my former attitude. As we went through that study, I began to realize that nothing in the Bible, not one word or number in it, is unnecessary. If we take the time to study these lists, a crucial pattern emerges of God’s will being done in the selection of the genealogical line of David and the passing of kingship authority to its ultimate Holder. There are other relationships that are revealed which I will not take the time to discuss here from these lists too.
The period occurring at toward the latter part of Samuel’s ministry as both a judge and a prophet has some very significant events. God’s displeasure with Saul’s behavior led to a “supernatural mid-course correction.” The authority for kingship was taken away from Saul, and David was anointed king of Israel. 1 SAM 16: 13, “Samuel took the olive oil and anointed David in front of his brothers. Immediately the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and was with him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.” This is a very revealing citation, because of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit. It tells us that God had given Samuel the authority to anoint David, that the Holy Spirit was indeed present in OT times, and that God had driven this action out of His decision to remove authority from Saul. He had selected David as Saul’s successor. We know from the events that ensued that Saul didn’t accept this decision on God’s part, which is why he persecuted David the way he did. Saul’s disobedience to God reveals to us why God made this decision and teaches us that if we are disobedient to the Father, we will suffer adverse consequences too.
Now, let me return to the issue of the Davidic covenant, so we can see why Christ is the Head of our congregations. Once David was installed in the palace, he was not alone there. God’s prophet, Nathan, the same man who had forced David to recognize the error of his ways with regard to Bathsheba and Uriah, was there with him. Nathan has two important messages which delivers to David in 1 SAM 7. The first one is in (5) that he is not the one to build the temple. That was because David had too much blood on his hands, and his son, Solomon, would be given authority to do that. The other message is the Davidic covenant in (12-13). [God speaking to David], “When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever.” The message here has huge implications, not only for David, but for all of us. God doesn’t make promises He won’t keep. While this genealogical line had been going on since Adam, this is the first place in the Scriptures where we who read them are allowed to see all the way into our future when Jesus Christ will be given the authority over the eternal Kingdom. In case there is any doubt about that, let me cite DN 7: 13-14 again for emphasis. “During this vision in the night, I [Daniel] saw what looked like a human being [Jesus Christ]. He was approaching me, surrounded by clouds, and he went to the One Who had been living forever [God] and was presented to Him. He was given authority, honor, and royal power, so that the people of all nations, races, and languages would serve Him. His authority would last forever, and His Kingdom would never end.”
While all the citations I’ve quoted so far are from the OT, it is important that we realize that Paul and others in the NT are also charged with repeating the message of Christ’s authority. One such reminder is in GA 3: 16, “Now, God made His promises to Abraham and to His Descendant. The Scripture [see GN 12: 7 KJV which uses the word “seed” rather than “seeds”] does not use the pleural “descendants,” meaning many people, but the singular “descendant,” meaning one person only, namely Christ.” It can’t be much clearer than that! This point is made again in EPH 4: 15-16 in a way which ties all the discussions of my previous messages about congregations with this one. “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, Who is the head. Under His control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.” I hope when this series of messages about congregations is completed, you will go back and reread them. I truly believe that God has laid out a construct for our congregations that when obeyed and put into practice will greatly improve the quality of our lives and allow Him to use us in getting His will accomplished. The great additional benefit to us is that we will advance through the process of sanctification in preparation for that day when the final trump will be heard, and we will be caught up with the Lord in the clouds.
PRAYER: O Lord, You present us with a clear line of authority to follow in bringing us together into congregations. It is clear that Jesus Christ, our Savior and Messiah, is Your choice to be the Head of our congregations and of His Body. Because our faith is sometimes weaker than it should be, You reveal this line of authority, so there can be no argument about Your choice. Because of Your righteousness and that of the Son, we can put our trust in following His leadership, knowing full well that it is in our best interests. Help us to see the wisdom of Your choice and why You deserve our total loyalty and obedience. Praise, honor, glory, adoration, and thanks be to You for the righteousness, compassion, and wisdom of Your Lordship in our lives. In Christ’s name, amen.
Our Lord provides a wall of defense against the enemy and the values of the world that can be made impenetrable by our strong faith. Our faith in Him and what we learn from the Scriptures teaches us that He will be the ultimate Victor. If we will obey God’s plan for our congregations and our lives as individuals, we will all be together at the wedding feast of the Lamb. I find huge comfort in that and I hope you do too. Share with me the hope of the resurrection, and I know your life will be richly blessed. Our Lord has enough love for all of us. Hallelujah! Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn