Lectionary 34, November 23, 2003
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132
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Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 and Psalm 93
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37
Main Themes:
Using the second set of texts (Daniel 7, Psalm 93 and the NT passages), we can focus on the theme of the nature of God?s kingdom. This requires us to ask a few questions about the imagery in the various passages. For example, Daniel 7 is an eschatological passage, but what does this judgment scene and it?s imagery say about God and about his kingdom?Similar wording is carried into the eschatological setting in Revelation 1:4-8, but in the scene before Pilate, we have Jesus claiming to be a king, to have a kingdom, while he?s under arrest. Is there a clash here between two conceptions of the kingdom?If so, how do we resolve it as we seek God?s kingdom. How ?material? is God?s kingdom?Is it subject to adjustment by mere physical factors?
You might consider adding to this passage Matthew 6:33. If we are to seek the kingdom of God apart from even seeking our daily needs for physical survival, what is the nature of the kingdom.
But Psalm 93 adds powerfully to this, by telling us that the king is also the creator of the world. Is it possible that when God?s kingdom is found spiritually, it will eventually break out and conquer all?
Our first set of passages speak specifically of ruling in the fear of God, and putting God first. This takes the same theme, but looks at it from the opposite direction.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Presented as the last words of David, and very possibly authentic. It is at least somewhat archaic and certainly textually difficult.
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(1) Now these are the last words of David. The declaration of David, son of Jesse, and the declaration of the man who was raised on high. The anointed of the God of Jacob. The most loved psalm of Israel. (2) The Spirit of YHWH spoke with me, and his word was upon my tongue. (3) The God of Israel said to me, The Rock of Israel spoke, “The one who rules among men righteously, Ruling with the fear of God, (4) will be like the light of morning, like the sun will shine out on a day of clouds, Gleaming as from rain on grass. (5) For is not my house this way with God, For he has established an eternal covenant for me, Put in order in all things and guarded. For all my salvation and all my delight. Will he not prosper? (6) People of Belial are like thorns thrown in a heap. They cannot be picked up. (7) And if a man touches them, It will be with something iron or a spear shaft. And in the fire they will surely be burned until completely gone. |
This passage is a bit difficult, but this seems to be the meaning.
Here I follow the order of the Hebrew to illustrate the structure of the poem, even though it is not very readable in English.
The contrast between those who do good and those who do evil is a constant theme of scripture. See Psalm 1, for example, alongside this passage. |
Psalm 132
I think Dahood [AB Psalms III] again gets both the setting for this Psalm and much of the language right. I have simply colored in blue the many renderings where I have accepted his reading. He relates this Psalm not to a generic annual festival of procession, but rather the procession of the ark to Jerusalem when it was brought there by David. Thus he uses 2 Samuel 6:1-16 as a commentary on this passage. You can read the story there. In particular, note the time the ark spends with Obed-Edom the Gittite. Dahood suggests that the first verse is the reminder of a confidant of David (Nathan the prophet is a possibility) of David?s intent with the ark.
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(1) A song of ascents.
Remember YHWH, Oh David! Remember all his triumphs!
(2) He who swore an oath to YHWH, Made a vow to the Strong One of Jacob. (3) I will not go into the canopy of my house! I will not go up to my bed. (4) I will not give sleep to my eyes, Or rest to my eyelids. (5) Until I find a place for YHWH, A dwelling for the Strong One of Jacob.
(6) Look! We heard it in Ephrathah, We found it in the fields of Yaar. (7) Let us go to your dwellings, Let us worship at your footstool.
(8) Rise up, YHWH to your rest, You and the ark, your stronghold. (9) Let your priests are clothed with righteousness, and your righteous ones call out for joy! (10) For David, your servant’s sake, Don’t turn away from your anointed one.
(11) YHWH swore, David, In truth he will not return from it From the fruit of your body, I will establish someone on your throne. (12) If your children keep my covenant, and the requirements that I teach them, Even their sons forever, Will sit on your throne.
(13) For YHWH chose Zion, He liked it as a place to dwell. (14) This is my resting place forever, Here I will sit, because I like it! (15) I will surely bless its pilgrims. I will satisfy its poor with food. (16) It’s priests I will clothe with salvation, and it’s righteous ones will surely shout for joy. (17) There I will make a horn flourish, David. I will trim a lamp, my anointed one! (18) I will clothe his enemies with shame, But upon him his crown will gleam. |
The reminder to David.
David had sworn an oath to YHWH but was in danger of leaving it unfulfilled because of the problem with Uzzah. It?s a very powerful and urgent oath.
This is the people?s response. On hearing that the ark will be moved to Jerusalem, they respond and join the procession.
The offer various prayers with reference to the ark, it?s procession and the kingdom.
YHWH?s oath, no confirmed to David. YHWH will prosper the kingdom and guarantee the throne contingent on David?s children keeping the covenant.
The location is YHWH?s choice, not David?s. He?s there because he likes it! I?ve translated this a bit lightly, because it seems clear with the repetition of ?like? and ?desire? that God is making it clear that Zion was his choice based on nothing but that?liking it!
The final promise. |
Daniel 7:9-10; 13-14
This is our second passage from Daniel covered in these notes. See Lectionary 33 for some introductory notes on Daniel. This time we see a new feature of Daniel, as chapter 7 is written in Aramaic. Daniel is divided into two languages which has fueled the debate over the date and unity of the book. In Daniel 2:4, as the king?s advisors offer to interpret the dream if the king will just tell them what it is, we are told that they spoke to the king in Aramaic. At that point the text switches from Hebrew to Aramaic. It doesn?t switch back at the end of the quoted speech, however, but continues in Aramaic until the end of chapter 7.
It is interesting to note that this section of Daniel in Aramaic is bracketed by two dreams/visions with very similar interpretation. In Daniel 2 we have the dream of the image which shows four empires, followed by a split, and then the stone that is cut out without hands strikes the image and destroys it and becomes a great mountain. In Daniel 7 we have four beasts rising out of the sea, with the last one?s multiple horns and heads indicating disunity. In the end, we again have this interruption of the process of human empires by something clearly divine in origin.
I don?t believe one can escape the similarity in the message of the two visions. Both show a progression of human kingdoms, to all human vision appearing to extend forever. In the seventh chapter we have the additional feature of the kingdoms represented by strange animals coming up out of the sea. The sea symbolized chaos and evil in the symbolism of the ancient near east. In the chapters between, we see the arrogance, the glory, and the failure of Babylonian sovereignty. Chapter three has Nebuchadnezzar attempting to show his own kingdom as eternal by creating the image that is all gold, and requiring worship of it. In chapter four Nebuchadnezzar claims sovereignty for himself, but is brought low by insanity. In chapter five we see the final failure of the kingdom of Babylon as it falls to Persia during a drunken orgy. In chapter six we see that even as the empires change, God protects his servant.
The combination of the visions and their context challenges the basic idea that the sequence of kingdoms is inevitable and will continue forever. Each empire was given the time on earth that God allotted, but they each fell, and the final fall ushers in the rule of God. Our passage today focuses on the end of the vision in chapter seven, describing the arrival of God?s sovereignty and God?s final judgment over the nations.
This relates in terms of imagery to Psalm 93, both about God?s throne and about the creation and the sea/land imagery covered there. In addition, one should compare the imagery and other terminology of Revelation 1:4-8 with that of this description. It seems likely that John the revelator is intentionally drawing a parallel between these passages and his vision. His vision is to be entirely contained in this last period of history as described by Daniel.
(In the outline I?m providing, chapters 8-12 expand and interpret the final images of chapters 2 & 7. )
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(9) I kept watching until thrones were set up, and an ancient one sat down.
His clothing was white as snow, and the hair on his head looked like pure wool.
His throne was flames of fire, and its wheels were burning fire.
(10) A river of fire flowed out from before him. A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand ten-thousands rose up before him. The court panel sat, and the books were opened.
(13) As I was watching the night visions, the scene changed and one like human being was coming, and he went to the Ancient One, and was presented to him. (14) And to him were given dominion and glory and royal power, and all peoples, nations and languages worshipped him. His sovereignty is eternal, it won’t run out. His royal power is the sort that will not cease. |
Anyone who knows both Hebrew and Aramaic will note that I?m being more free here in translation than usual. It?s easy to make the Aramaic portions of Daniel less comprehensible in English than they are in Aramaic!
Literally translated ?his clothing was like snow, white? and ?his hair was like wool, pure?
The wheels may owe something to Ezekiel?s throne (especially in Ezekiel 1, but passim).
The ancient one is never said to be human, and seems to be a divine figure. The person like a human being, the famed ?son of man? quoted in the New Testament. The use of the passive (to him were given) suggests that the actor is God, though not named. |
I believe each of us has to ?dig in? to what we truly believe. It can not just be a ?flavor of the week? but it must stand the test of time and nay-sayers. We must not be afraid to ask questions and yet also not be afraid to step out in faith. We must open our hearts to the ?reality? of God?s Holy Spirit to sanctify us, including our beliefs as they are sifted through the Light of His perfect Truth.
Psalm 93
Dahood [AB Psalms II] dates this in the 10th century and sees a number of relationships between its text and Canaanite practice. The closest comparison in the Psalter is Psalm 29 which is likely itself a Canaanite hymn adapted to Israelite worship. This Psalm celebrates the creation and YHWH?s kingship which is closely related to creative power in the Ancient Near East.
Compare the imagery to that in Psalm 104:1-9. (See my translation and notes at:http://energion.com/rpp/p104tr.shtml and my general comments at http://energion.com/rpp/psalm104.shtml).
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(1) YHWH reigns! With splendor he has clothed himself. YHWH has clothed himself With strength he has girded himself.
Indeed you have established the earth. It will no longer slip.
(2) Your throne is firm since the distant past, You are from eternity.
(3) The ocean currents have lifted up, YHWH! The ocean currents have lifted up their voice. The ocean currents have lifted up their pounding waves.
(4) Mightier than the roaring of waters, More powerful than the waves of the sea, Higher than the highest heaven is YHWH!
(5) Your jurisdiction is absolutely firm. To your house belongs the beauty of the holy one. YHWH, for eternal days. |
It is impossible to clearly portray the first four lines of this poem in English. To get an idea of the rhythm, I will transliterate it loosely:
Yahweh malak Ge?uth lavesh Lavesh Yahweh Oz hithazar.
Excessively literally:
YHWH reigns Splendor clothes Clothes YHWH Strength girds.
Using suggestion of Dahood for translation of Hebrew af as emphatic.
Verses 1 & 2 establish the theme as the introduction.
The ocean is the source of chaos and evil in ANE mythological language. Here they roar against YHWH who is king. This is creation (and also Flood) imagery.
YHWH is more powerful than everything lifted against him.
Having told the most abbreviated creation story possible, we return to the basic notion. YHWH is established in his house for eternity and his authority or jurisdiction is firm. The equivalent English expression is: ?God is in heaven, all?s right with the world. ? |
Revelation 1:4-8
Though we often refer to the Revelation of John, Revelation calls itself a revelation of Jesus Christ. The word ?of? is very interesting in scriptural interpretation because it so often translates the genitive relationship. In this case we might think of Revelation as a revealing of Jesus, or as a revelation given by Jesus, or perhaps both. It begins with a statement of the person who is giving the message, and of the focus?he is coming in the clouds as king. This is followed by the vision of Jesus (1:9ff) who is walking amongst the seven candlesticks, and then the messages to the seven churches. In each message, there is a reference to this vision of Jesus.
Sometimes we read Revelation as a mere prophetic outline. I do not think Revelation is ?less than? a prophetic outline. I don?t think a prophetic outline is worthy of the themes expressed here through symbolism. In particular we have the themes of Jesus and who he is, of heavenly worship, of the relationship between God and man, and the conflict between good and evil.
But at the start, we have the simple statement that God is a God who reveals himself, and also a God who comes to us. Is your church a candlestick, shedding light? Would you be happy to have Jesus walking by and examining your light?
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(4) John, to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from the one who is and who was and who is coming and from the seven spirits which are before his throne
(5) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the one who loves us and who freed us from our sins by his blood, (6) and who made us a kingdom, priests to God and his father, to him be the glory and the power forever and ever, Amen! (7) Behold he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even the ones who pierced him, And all the tribes of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen! (8) I myself am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, the one who is and who was and who is coming, the all-powerful. |
Seven spirits or sevenfold spirit. There is some controversy about this phrase, but it most likely expresses completeness.
Jesus as king.
Jesus as sacrifice and high priest, themes related to the book of Hebrews.
Jesus as the one who will return.
John tortures the Greek language a bit in order to express the eternity of God. But it?s easy to understand what he?s conveying. |
John 18:33-37
We anticipate the advent season with this expression of the mission of Jesus, taken from his trial. There are several themes here:1) witnessing, 2) integrity and truth, 3) the spiritual kingdom.
The focus of the message here is not the crucifixion, however. It is who Jesus is, and why he is there speaking to Pilate.
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33 Then Pilate went in again into the praetorium, and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own, or did others say this concerning me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Do you think perhaps I’m a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you to me. What did you do?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my hirelings would fight so that I might not be handed over to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. “
37 Then Pilate said to him, “Are you not then a king?” Jesus answered, “You said that I’m a king. I was born for this purpose, and for this I came into the world, so that I might bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. “ |
For the Romans, this was really the issue. Nobody could claim to be the king of the Jews unless they approved.
Pilate points out to Jesus that he, a Roman, is hardly concerned with the details, since his own people have turned him over to the Romans. In the gospels we gloss over the fact that really a very small portion of the Jewish people at most were involved. Every nation has its collaborators, and these were the collaborators. When you preach, consider that this sort of generality is acceptable for a Jew speaking about Jews, but for a gentile, it is better to be clear that the Jews, as a nation, are not bearing this kind of guilt.
A strong focus of the gospel of John is the spiritual mission of Jesus. Jesus makes it clear that his purpose is not to establish an earthly kingdom. Rather, he already has a kingdom, and it is not a kingdom of this world.
Just because his kingdom is spiritual doesn?t mean he doesn?t have a kingdom or that he isn?t a king.
He was here to bear witness to the truth. He sent the Holy Spirit to continue bearing witness to the truth. We, as the ones sent into the world (John 20:21), are to also be witnesses to the truth. This places a burden on us to be genuine, absolutely truthful and to always speak and act with integrity.
The spiritual kingdom is founded on truth. |
There?s a current phenomena that I have not been able to find any interest called ?reality TV?. The concept seems to be that cameras will follow ?real? people through various activities and ?allow? me, the viewer, to watch. It begs the question of ?why would I want to do that?? but if I did, why not just watch the news, read a national newspaper or magazine? Their pictures are pretty graphic, also! I do not have to go out of my way to seek ?reality?. I KNOW people who have had to cope with the murder of a loved one. I KNOW people with conflict in their homes and insanity in their workplaces. I do not need a Hollywood producer to give me a ?peek?!
In the midst of all of this, I find myself looking for an anchor, searching for a place that I can take a stand and say, ?ENOUGH!I CHOOSE ONLY TO FILL MY HEAD WITH THE REAL TRUTH?NOT THE ?TRUTH? OF THE WEEK!!!?
Jesus has a Kingdom that has always been and will never end. It is a ?reality? that I can sink my personal anchor down in deep. The more I read God?s Word, the deeper my belief sinks into the ?reality? of Jesus. In the midst of the world?s turmoil, there is a spiritual peace and an eternal promise that keeps that flame of hope alive inside of me. I KNOW that my Redeemer is alive and His kingdom (reality!) is true and will have no end! In fact, I even KNOW the end!