[In 1567] The first Assembly at Edinburgh of the representatives of the individual Reformed Congregations, at which the amalgamation of these churches was agreed to, simply aggregated the Congregations into a Church in Scotland. The Confession of Faith, which was the instrument by which the unification was accomplished, and was the only bond uniting the disjecta membra [scattered members] of the disintegrated Church, makes no reference to a Church of Scotland. Consequently, the indispensable characteristics of a national Church, namely, jurisdiction, active authority, and legal subsidy, all of which requirements had been withheld by the legislature, were for seven years non-existent. . . .

The change of government [from Queen Mary to King James] gave the leaders of the Church their opportunity. They, finding themselves an influential confederation, demanded parliamentary recognition of the Church as an institution of co-equal standing with the civil government, and acknowledgement of the principles of the Headship of Christ over the King in matters of spiritual government.

J. K. Hewison, The Covenanters, Vol. 1, 67-68.

Introduction

What was the original meaning of the second psalm? What consideration should modern interpreters give to the theological backdrop and the original author’s conscious prophetism? What consideration should be given to subsequent elaboration and application of the second psalm by New Covenant leadership? How does Psalm 2 apply to our lives today?

Summary

Psalm 2 begins with an interrogative and an investigation into the rebellious uproar of the nations (Ps. 2:1).[1] The “kings of the earth” living in the vicinity of Israel are rebelling “against the LORD and his anointed” (Ps. 2:2). [2] According to Judean usage, “anointed” refers to the king(s) of Israel.[3] The emphasis is on what the conspirators are saying: “Let us burst their [i.e., the LORD and his anointed] bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us” (Ps. 2:3).[4] As one historically significant commentary explains, the mutual desire of the antagonists is to “cast off all signes [sic] of subjection to God, and his anointed.”[5] The uproar and rebellion depicted in Psalm 2:1-3 is nothing less than high-handed, murderous insubordination.[6]

Uproar and rebellion, however, are futile (Ps. 2:4-5). Their shouts of rebellion are no match for God’s proclamation and instruction (Ps. 2:6, 8-9). As one commentator explains, “The LORD himself has consecrated his servant-monarch on the summit of Zion” (Ps. 2:6).[7]

The “anointed” then proclaims the LORD’s decree of divine sonship, i.e., adoption (Ps. 2:7).[8] The LORD’s initial proclamation, “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill” (Ps. 2:6), is paralleled by a promise, “I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:8-9). The divine enthronement’s promised result is victory universal in scope.

The kings of the earth are mercifully put on notice. On the one hand, they can submit and kiss the feet of the LORD’s “anointed” (Ps. 2:12a), or, on the other hand, they can double-down in their rebellion, incite the anger of God, and perish in the way (Ps. 2:12b). The confidence of this dire and definitive warning (Ps. 2:10-12b) stands in sharp contrast to the inquisitive dismay dominating the initial stanza (Ps. 2:1-3). The conclusion, “Happy are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12c), is both a beatitude and epiphonema, enhancing and exaggerating the result of those who “Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling kiss his feet” (Ps. 2:11-12a).[9]

Classification

Psalm 2 is commonly referred to as a royal psalm.[10] Why? Because its subject matter deals with the Judean monarchy. Specifically, the second psalm depicts a coronation scene. Detecting traces of a coronation in Psalm 2 is understandably not easy for Christians living in the United States of America. Our citizenry has not been subject to a royal sovereign for over two centuries. In general, we are thoroughly unacquainted with the rite, ritual, and rhythm of royal coronation. That would not have been the case for the original audience. They would have been deeply familiar with royal coronation, and commensurately attuned to see and sense undertones of royal coronation in the second psalm.[11]

Structure and Outline

The shape of Psalm 2 is comprised of four stanzas or divisions.[12] According to the analysis of one commentator:

The poem contains four strophes each of which is divided into two substrophes of bicola or tricola, plus one bicolon or tricolon:

The Tumult of the nations (vv. 1 and 2 plus 3);

The Laughter of God (vv. 4 and 5 plus 6);

The Divine Sonship of the Royal Anointed (vv. 7 and 8 plus 9);

Dire Warning to Kings of the Earth (vv. 10 and 11 plus 12abc).”[13]

Within this straightforward fourfold structure, other authors have detected an additional chiastic structure:

A – The Rebellious Nations (vv. 1-3)

B – God’s Rule in heaven (vv. 4-6)

B´ – God’s Decree (vv. 7-9)

A´ – The Rule of the Messiah on Earth (vv. 10-12)[14]

The chiastic structure explicitly places the emphasis on the LORD’s pronouncement and promise: “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill” (Ps. 2:6) / “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:8-9). This emphasis is bracketed and enclosed by stark contrast: Rebelling Nations (Ps. 2:1-3) / Ruling Messiah (Ps. 2:10-12).

Occasion and Authorship

Psalm 2 deals with coronation, kingship, and kingdom, and the occasion of its composition is presumably related. As one commentary suggests, “The identification of the psalm with the coronation of a Davidic king is clarified by the parallels between this psalm and the promises given to David in the oracle of Nathan (2 Sam 7:8-16).”[15] In 2 Samuel 7, the LORD told David that after he died he would establish the throne of the kingdom of his descendant (2 Sam. 7:12). In addition, the LORD also promised to establish the Davidic throne forever (2 Sam. 7:16). This is typically referred to as the “Davidic Covenant.”[16] As one commentator observed, “The psalm reflects a deep understanding of God’s covenant with David . . . God’s relationship with David and his sons, who were also “anointed,” involves the promise that through the Davidic dynasty God will establish his universal rule over the earth.”[17]

Psalm 2 lacks a title or superscription ascribing authorship. In Acts 4:24-26, however, authorship is clearly attributed to David: “Sovereign Lord . . . it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things?’”

Initial Interpretation

So far I have briefly summarized and examined Psalm 2. I hope it is apparent that there are multiple layers of meaning and significance that must be sifted through in the interpretive process. First and foremost, I have sought to establish the original meaning and royal character of Psalm 2. David is the author and this psalm is about the coronation of a Davidic king. The LORD anointed David to be a king of Israel (1 Samuel 16), and years later the LORD revealed to David that his seed would sit on his throne, and that it would become an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7:8-16). With respect to the psalm’s royal character and original purpose, the significance and meaning of the second psalm begins with the following observations: the “nations” / “peoples” / “kings” / “rulers” refer to nations in vicinity of Israel; the “anointed” refers to a Davidic scion, perhaps as early as ~950s BC; the human king depicted is associated with the monarchy and state of Israel, i.e., the Davidic kingdom. In what follows, I will endeavor to walk through pertinent details in consideration of the interpretive process.

Everlasting and Worldwide Kingdom

 In Psalm 2:6, the LORD proclaims: “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” The LORD also gives instruction to this king: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps. 2:8-9). This clearly establishes worldwide jurisdiction of the Davidic kingdom. But why? Why would David depict the jurisdiction of the Davidic dynasty as worldwide and universal in scope? Wasn’t the “anointed” a human king in Israel? And wasn’t Israel associated with the land of promise and inheritance? I think the answer to that question is found in consideration of David’s theological backdrop.

The LORD revealed to David that his kingdom would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:16).[18] Later, in 2 Samuel 23:5 and Psalm 89:29-38, David consciously reflects on this promised dynasty. It is clear from the original blessing of David (2 Sam. 7:8-16), David’s immediate response (2 Sam. 7:18-29), e.g., his thanks (2 Sam. 7:18-21), prayer (2 Sam. 7:22-24), and praise (2 Sam. 25-29), as well as David’s subsequent reflection upon and understanding of it (2 Sam. 23:5; Ps. 89:29-38), that David himself understood that the promise given to him was a real, meaningful, and tangible fulfillment of the blessing of Abraham.[19] In a significant article on the blessing of David, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. clarifies that “What God promised to David was not a brand new, unrelated theme. There was a single program of God already in vogue and therefore a theology which could “inform” or contribute to this new addition to that ancient promise.”[20] The depiction of worldwide jurisdiction in the second psalm should be interpreted with respect to both the Abrahamic covenant and promise as well as the Davidic. The LORD said to Abram, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:2-3).[21] The promise of a Davidic dynasty is a concrete fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise.

Conscious Prophetism

In light of the discussion above, in the interpretive process of the second psalm, a sensible question to ask is this: Is Psalm 2 a conscious prophetism of David? Did David understand he was speaking prophetically about the “anointed”? If so, then the original meaning is much broader than the narrow meaning sketched above.

I believe Psalm 2 is a conscious prophetism. The immediate theological backdrop for Psalm 2 is the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:8-16), which, as mentioned above, was “not a brand new, unrelated theme.” The same “single program of God” and theological background that informed David’s understanding of the promise in 2 Samuel 7, would also have informed his understanding of second psalm while he was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Some authors suggest that the worldwide jurisdiction of the Davidic king depicted in the second psalm is because God is the universal God. [22] I don’t think that is the only reason. My tentative suggestion is that David depicted the worldwide jurisdiction not only because God is the universal God but also because God revealed to David that the blessing of Abraham, universal and worldwide in scope, would involve David’s dynasty. The earthly Davidic dynasty is presented in worldwide terms because David understood the import of God’s everlasting unconditional promise. Accordingly, there is warrant to tentatively conclude that in a real and meaningful sense David was engaged in conscious prophetism in his composition of the second psalm.

New Covenant Use of Psalm 2

No interpretation of the second psalm is complete without consideration of the New Testament. The New Covenant leadership frequently quoted, referenced, and alluded to Psalm 2 in the Scriptures contained in the New Testament.[23] Jesus’ messianic office was confirmed, his crucifixion was explained, and the meaning of his resurrection was interpreted by his disciples, all with respect to Psalm 2.[24]

Above I briefly mentioned that Davidic authorship is established from Acts 4. Acts 4 is significant because not only does it establish the authorship of the second psalm, but it also clearly establishes that the “anointed” in this psalm has been interpreted as “the coming deliverer of David’s line at least as early as the middle of the first century B.C.”[25] Thus, Psalm 2 is prophetic not only with respect to the Messiah but also his enemies. As one commentary explains, “In OT times, the nations of the world were portrayed as rebellious at the time of the coronation (Ps 2:1-3), yet they would (or could) be subdued by the Davidic king . . . This rebellion of the nations is interpreted by the earliest Christians as referring to the opposition to Jesus of Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and Israel (Acts 4:24-28).”[26] The New Covenant leadership interpreted Psalm 2 in continuity with its original meaning and purpose as a royal psalm depicting both the rebellion of enemies and the reign of the “anointed,” e.g., at Jesus’ baptismal anointing the heavenly voice pronounced: “You are my Son” (Luke 3:22; Ps. 2:7), and, as the enemy nations rebelled in response to the coronation and anointing of former Davidic king(s), likewise the Gospels depict the enemies of Jesus, the “anointed,” rebelling in response to his coronation.

One of the most interesting New Testament allusions to the second psalm is found in Revelation 11:14-19, when the seventh trumpet sounds: “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever’” (Rev. 11:15). The uproar and judgment depicted in Psalm 2 is the background of Revelation 11:14-19. Not only does Psalm 2:1-3 describe the uproar and rebellion of Jesus’ pre-Crucifixion enemies, as Acts 4:25-26 explains, but Psalm 2 also depicts the foolish uproar and rebellion of Jesus’ post-Resurrection enemies. In Revelation 11:14-19, all the enemies of “our Lord and of his Messiah,” whether past, present, or future, we see that the shouts of their rebellion is no match for God’s proclamation. The second psalm resonates in the worship of the twenty-four elders, who represent the church.[27] They worship and sing:

We give thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:17b-18).

In the same way the second psalm was paradigmatic for the New Covenant leadership, likewise it will be paradigmatic for the church’s eternal praise.

Application

The second psalm has many appropriate modern applications. In light of recent and ongoing events related to the Coronavirus pandemic/endemic, believers would do well to meditate on and apply Psalm 2 to their lives. Think about how somebody in the original context could have looked at the immediate circumstances and had a bleak outlook. For example, they could have given themselves to worry and anxiety because of the uproar of the nations and the rebellion of the kings of the earth (Ps. 2:1-3). Somebody in Israel could have thought in the midst of that turmoil the future trajectory for Israel looked rather bleak. Likewise, today a Christian might be tempted to only see a bleak trajectory for the world and the church. For example, recently in the United States of America, because of health concerns and a desire to preserve public health and tranquility, temporarily there was fairly widespread suspension of public gatherings, including public assembly for religious worship. In Romans 13, Christians are obviously commanded to submit to civil magistrates. The Scriptures clearly reveal that God “hath ordained civil magistrates, to be, under Him, over the people, for His own glory, and the public good.”[28] It is a Christian’s duty to pray for the magistrates, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience’ sake (cf., Rom. 13:5). I know many Christians find our recent and ongoing circumstances to be overwhelming, and they are worried about how Federal and State mandates and directives regulating the public sphere could set a precedence for future abuse and tyranny. I know many brothers and sisters can only see darkness and more darkness in the series of mandates and directives, e.g., “stay at home” and “shelter in place” and “get vaccinated” and etc. etc. etc. But I would encourage everyone to walk by faith and not by sight. What was the redemptive-theological backdrop for the Apostles? Specifically, for Paul? What was the redemptive-theological backdrop when he commanded, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1)? It was the New Covenant. Jesus Christ was the tangible fulfillment of both the Davidic and Abrahamic promises. Jesus Christ is the substance of the blessing of Abraham. Jesus Christ is the substance of the Davidic dynasty. God alone is the supreme Lord and King of all the world, and he has enthroned His “anointed,” our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, trust God who is currently calling the church, both corporately and as individual Christians, to submit to the magistrates’ just and legal authority. King Jesus is reigning, and his jurisdiction is worldwide. The redemptive-theological backdrop for Paul was the same for Peter, who instructed, “For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish” (1 Pet. 2:13-14). It is a common mistake to only think and talk about King Jesus’ reign and rule as manifested, experienced, and felt in the visible administration and government of the church, e.g., the keys of the kingdom, administration of baptism and Lord’s Supper, etc. But King Jesus’ reign is also manifested, experienced, and felt through the visible and earthly administration, authority, and power of civil magistrates. As Paul explained, “there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). And who has been appointed over all these mediating authorities? Psalm 2 informs us it is the “anointed” King Jesus. No matter our circumstances or how we feel, we ought never to forget what Jesus told his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18).

Modern application of the second psalm will encourage all to trust God and walk by faith during temporary and difficult times. Psalm 2 is a snapshot of King Jesus presently reigning. We see King Jesus seated on his throne (Ps. 2:6). We see King Jesus holding his powerful scepter (“rod of iron” Ps. 2:9). We see King Jesus riding the Gospel and calling all nations to submit to his reign and rule (“be warned . . . kiss his feet” (Ps. 2:10-12). If we have ears to hear, then we can also hear King Jesus proclaiming the beatitude-benediction: “Happy are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12c). Right now in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic/endemic and its societal, economic, and political fallout, there is no reason to be overwhelmed by doubt, fear, or anxiety. The second psalm gives each and every believer an incontrovertible reason to wholeheartedly trust God: Jesus is King. Each and every believer should remember and meditate on Psalm 2. Each and every believer can grow daily in stalwart faith and take refuge in King Jesus. The royal “anointed” in the second psalm, King Jesus, is going to conquer every nation and every king and every virus and every disease and every downturned economy and every sin and every death. Let us, therefore, submit ourselves to King Jesus and his righteous rule and reign, which King Jesus makes felt in the life of believers in the visible church as well as through the civil magistrates. Let us, therefore, thank King Jesus for subduing us to himself. Let us, therefore, praise King Jesus for conquering all of his enemies, for in conquering his enemies he conquers each and every enemy assailing the church. Let us, therefore, in difficult and relatively unprecedented circumstances, truly believe that those who believe and take refuge in King Jesus are “happy” (Ps. 2:12c).

Conclusion

The blessing of Abraham and the Davidic covenant are essential factors to be taken into consideration in the interpretive process of the second psalm. Likewise the inauguration of the New Covenant through the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and his commensurate “enthronement” as the “LORD’s anointed,” it is the theological backdrop for interpreting and applying Psalm 2 to the life of each and every believer. God the Son Incarnate is the “anointed,” and God has decreed his divine sonship, i.e., adoption. Thus, Jesus Christ is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). The result for each and every believer? Indeed, “Happy are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12c).

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[1] “The word “why” (לָמָּה) is used only once at the beginning of v 1a, but it dominates the whole introductory section (2:1-3) and is implied in the following lines. Thus it is repeated four times in the translation to convey the power of the passage” (Psalms 1-50, 2^nd ed. by Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate in Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 19, gen. ed. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard, and Glenn W. Barker (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 62-63).For additional discussion on this initial figure of speech in Psalm 2:1, see explanation of “Ellipsis” and examples of interrogatives listed under heading “Repetition: Particles From Preceding Clause” in E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated (New York: E. and J. B. Young and Company, 1898), 1-2, 94-95.

[2] All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

[3] Anointing symbolized divine appointment; see usage in 1 Samuel 10:1.

[4] “Where [the verb “to say”] is omitted the emphasis is to be placed on what is said rather than on the act of saying it . . . Ps. ii. 2.—‘Why do . . . the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying’” (E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, 32).

[5] Annotations upon all the books of the Old and New Testament wherein the text is explained, doubts resolved, Scriptures paralleled and various readings observed by the joynt-labour of certain learned divines, thereunto appointed, and therein employed, as is expressed in the preface (London: John Legatt and John Raworth, 1645).  Note: Annotations is a one-volume Bible commentary and its folios lack pagination.

[6] “1.c. “Murmur murderously”: literally, “growl a vain thing” (הגה, “growl, murmur,” probably being onomatopoeic)” (Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50, 63).

[7] Samuel Terrien, The Psalms: Strophic Structure and Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003), 83.

[8] “Psalm 2 adopts the terminology of divine sonship, but transforms it into a metaphor of adoption (cf. Gen 30:3; 50:23)” (Samuel Terrien, The Psalms, 84).

[9] For explanation and discussion of epiphonema, see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, 464.

[10] “Since its subject concerns the anointing and coronation of a Davidic king (cf. 2 Kings 11:12), Psalm 2 is classified as a royal psalm” (Psalms by Willem A. VanGemeren in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, Psalms – Song of Songs, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991], 64).

[11] 2 Kings 11:10-12 briefly describes the coronation scene of a Davidic king. Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate provide the following summary: “A coronation involved the setting of a crown upon a new king’s head, the formal presentation of a document to the new king, and his proclamation and anointing” (Psalms 1-50, 64).

[12] For a thorough examination of the strophic structure of Psalm 2, see Samuel Terrien, The Psalms, 77-87.

[13] Samuel Terrien, The Psalms, 80.

[14] Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, 64. See also analysis of structure, parallelism, and chiasmus by Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50, 64-65.

[15] Peter C. Craigie and Marin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50, 64. Likewise, Willem A. VanGemeren suggests: “It is preferable to read the psalm in light of Nathan’s prophecy of God’s covenant with David (2 Sam 7:5-16)” (Psalms, 64).

[16] For explanation and lengthy discussion of the Davidic covenant, see O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1980), 229-269.

[17] Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, 65.

[18] The following section dependent upon discussion in Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., “The Blessings of David: The Charter for Humanity,” in The Law and the Prophets: Old Testament Studies in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1974), 298-318.

[19] “Since the “this” of II Samuel 7:19 refers to the content of the promise, more specifically, the “seed” of Abraham, Israel, and David, which is to live and reign forever and be the Lord’s channel of blessing to all the nations of the earth, the law in this context is the principle by which all mankind is to be blessed. . . .  We call this torah a “charter” because it is the plan and prescription for God’s kingdom whereby the whole world shall be blessed with the total content of the promise doctrine. It is a grant conferring powers, rights, and privileges to David and his seed for the benefit of all mankind. . . . With the realization that he has just been granted an everlasting dynasty, dominion, and kingdom, David blurts out in uncontainable joy, “And this [new addition to the promise doctrine] is the Charter for all mankind, O Lord God!” So the ancient promise of blessing to all mankind would continue; only now it would involve David’s dynasty, throne, and kingdom. Indeed, it was a veritable “charter” granted as God’s gift for the future of all mankind” (Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., “The Blessing of David: The Charter for Humanity,” 314-315).

[20] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., “The Blessings of David: The Charter for Humanity,” 308.

[21] For a thorough grammatical analysis and significance of this divine promise, see Oswald T. Allis, “The Blessing of Abraham.” The Princeton Theological Review, 25.2 (1927): 263-298.

[22] “A central theme of the entire biblical tradition is the kingdom of God. In the monarchic period, the kingdom of God is identified with the state of Israel (and later Judah). That state had a human king, but ultimately its king was God; Israel was a theocracy. Psalm 2 clearly reflects this joint-kingship of the state. The Lord, the Enthroned One (v 4), was the universal king, but his earthly representative was his “son,” the Davidic king. Because God is a universal God, the earthly king’s jurisdiction is also presented in worldwide terms (2:8-9), though with respect to the Davidic kings, the world-wide authority always remained an ideal rather than a reality” (Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50, 68).

[23] For exhaustive analysis, consult listings for Psalm 2 in Index of Scripture in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, eds. G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).

[24] “The second psalm is one of the psalms most quoted in the NT. It was favored by the apostles as scriptural confirmation of Jesus’ messianic office and his expected glorious return with power and authority. The writers of the synoptic Gospels alluded to Psalm 2 in their account of Jesus’ baptism, when the Father proclaimed him to be his son (v. 7; cf. Matt 3:17; mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). With the words of v.7, Jesus introduced the beginning of the messianic age. . . . The first-century church applied the second psalm to the Messiah as an explanation of the crucifixion of Christ by the rulers (Herod and Pontius Pilate), the nations, and Israel (the priests, scribes, and Pharisees). They had conspired together against the Messiah of God (Acts 4:25-28). Paul applied it to Jesus’ ministry: his sonship, resurrection, and ascension to glory, which confirmed God’s promises in Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 13:32-33)” (Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, 65).

[25] F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of Acts: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), 106.

[26] Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 1-50, 69.

[27] “These elders represent the church of the Old Testament and the New” (Joel R. Beeke, Revelation (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2016), 335.

[28] The Westminster Confession of Faith, (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2012), 101.

The First Book of Discipline is a practical supplement to the [Confession of Faith, 1560], an exhibition of the function of the Church and a manual for Church policy for clergy and laity. It was prepared along with the Confession and in 1564 was revised by George Buchanan and others. It is based on foreign models, Douglas probably shaping its educational sections, and Knox drafting the body of the work with the aid of the ordinances of the Lutheran and the Calvinistic Churches. . . . The Book of Discipline contains nine articles on Doctrine, Sacraments, Idolatry, Ministers and Readers, Stipends and Church possessions payable for religion and education, Church Patrimony, Discipline, Elders and Deacons, and the Policy of the Church (including marriage, burial, profanity, etc.). . . .

The Book of Discipline, in arranging rules for the organisation of the Church, referred to a manual entitled ‘The Booke of the Common Order, called “the Order of Geneva.”‘ This compilation is a directory of public worship and religious rites. In its remodelled [sic] form it is also styled Knox’s Liturgy, and was in use as a guide ‘for helpe and direction’ till 1645.

J. K. Hewison, The Covenanters, Vol. 1, 39, 42.

The Confession of Faith and Doctrine, embodied in twenty-five articles, states lucidly the evangelical doctrines current among the Reformed Churches abroad, in sharp definition and in contrast with the dogmas then discarded. These twenty-five chapters treat God; Creation of Man; Original Sin; Revelation of the Promise; the Growth of the Church; the Incarnation; the God-Man; Election; Christ’s Mortality; Resurrection Ascension; Faith in the Holy Ghost; Good Works; Works good before God; Perfect Law and Imperfect Man; The Church; Immortality; The Church, true and false; Authority of Scriptures; General Councils; Sacraments; their right administration; their application; Civil Magistrates; Bequests to Church. This Confession is substantially based upon the Calvinistic Confessions and shows traces of the teaching of Calvin and Alasco. . . . Denying the doctrine of transubstantiation and discarding the view of Zwingli as merely memorial significance of the bread and wine, the Confession accepts the teaching of Calvin as to the mystical conjunction of the Redeemer and the believer in the communing act. . . . It approves of obedience to civil magistrates, who are God’s vicegerents, to whom are intrusted the suppression of idolatry and superstition; but it concedes no sovereignty or headship over the Church to any civil ruler or to any single individual.

J. K. Hewison, The Covenanters, Vol. 1, 37-39.

Knox and his covenanting associates maintained that it was righteous procedure on the part of the State to adopt, and to see that the subjects accepted, a religion. But the difference between the Reformed and the Romanist position was this, that the acceptor in the latter case had to accept and say nothing, in the former, the believer had the right to appeal directly to the Holy Writ as the sole authority on matters of faith. This privilege . . . it broke the keys of Rome.

J. K. Hewison, The Covenanters, Vol. 1, 36-37.

Indirect Meaning and Interpretive Effort

The goal of biblical hermeneutics is to understand the original, intended meaning of the Word of God. To assess the original, intended meaning of the various Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, the literary genre of respective works must be taken into consideration. If an interpreter does not take literary genre into consideration, then, to some degree, he will fall short understanding the intent and meaning of the text.

The chapters on Narrative, the New Testament Epistles, and Prophecy highlight the function of indirect meaning in interpretation. It takes effort to notice indirect meaning. For example, narrative is the most common literary genre of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and, as Kaiser explains in Chapter 8, “Narrative is clearly the main supporting framework for the Bible.”[1] The implications of this are significant! The meaning of the main supporting framework for the Bible is accessed and assessed indirectly. As Kaiser explains, “[N]arrative presents its principles and purposes indirectly.”[2] This implication and observation highlights the importance of understanding literary genres for interpreting the Bible. The meaning and sense of narrative, the most common literary genre, is largely indirect. However, even in more direct literary genres, like the Epistles, even in those texts Kaiser and Silva discuss that much of their meaning is also implied, e.g., meaning and understanding of the Epistles is derived from ascertaining the “specific historical needs” at back the intent of the author’s writing to original audience.[3]

Patient Effort

A reader and interpreter cannot expect the text to do all the work. A significant degree of interpretive-responsibility is intentionally and necessarily transferred to the audience. In the same way a preacher cannot do all the work for a person listening to a sermon, likewise the text cannot (does not) do all the work for the reader. “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out” (Prov. 25:2). With respect to narrative, what responsibility does the reader have to hear, and what effort is required in order to search out the meaning of the text? Much, indeed.

Patient effort is required to access and assess the meaning of Narrative, Poetry and Wisdom, Gospels, Epistles, and Prophecy. In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus explained “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11) and “the good soil” are “the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance” (Luke 8:15). No wonder, prior to this explanation, Jesus concluded the parable with the forceful imperative: “Let anyone with ears to hear listen” (Luke 8:8). The patient effort required to discern both the direct and indirect meaning contained in the Scriptures, whether ranging from Narrative to Prophecy, only heightens the interpreter’s duty to constantly be praying, “Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18).

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[1] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning, rev. and exp. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 123.

[2] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 124.

[3] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 177.

Hermeneutics, Language, and History

Hermeneutics is not an exclusive discipline of biblical studies. As Moisés Silva explains, hermeneutics has traditionally referred to “the discipline that deals with principles of interpretation.”[1] Humans interpret a variety of things all the time, e.g., conversations, newspapers, books, food recipes, etc. However, as Silva elaborates, there is nothing simple about this “daily practice of interpretation” because it “requires a fairly complex (though usually unconscious) process that focuses on language and history.”[2]

In Chapters 1-7, Kaiser and Silva help readers to slow down, identify, notice, and observe the principles of interpretation that are the basis of the responsible discipline of biblical hermeneutics. Much like the hidden yet intricate gears that consistently and reliably tick and tock behind the faceplate of a pocket-watch, likewise the daily “tick, tock” practice of interpretation is largely a matter of an unconscious (hidden) process. Following this pocket-watch analogy, Kaiser and Silva are lifting the backplate and showing off the “language” and “history” that are the primary elements of the gearwork that provides the tick-tock of “grammatico-historical exegesis.”[3] This book is a helpful examination of the crucial and introductory concepts for interpreting the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Hermeneutics: Constructive and Complex

Biblical hermeneutics is a constructive endeavor which aims to demonstrate meaning and modern application of the Scriptures. How should one interpret Scripture? What can readers do to understand the original, intended meaning of Scripture? Is the canonical context important for understanding and interpreting Scripture? What should contemporary readers do to avoid making inappropriate modern applications? Hermeneutics deals with these sorts of questions. Hermeneutics must be constructive because nobody discerns, understands, explains the original meaning, and applies the Scriptures to contemporary milieu via rote repetition of the Scriptures. For example, if I ask what the meaning of the Ten Commandments is and its relevant application for modern church and society, then it is not merely a matter of reading and woodenly paraphrasing Exodus 20. That manner of “interpreting” the Bible is only a tautology. Merely saying something with different words is not the aim of biblical hermeneutics. In the chapter discussing the use and abuse of language, Silva specifically warns against the danger of exaggerating the biblical languages: “we must not confuse the divine message itself with the human means God used to proclaim it. … Under inspiration, they used their daily language in a normal way.”[4] Biblical interpretation is not merely a matter of pointing to Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek sentences, i.e., the human means God used for divine revelation.

A responsible interpreter of the Scriptures must start with and focus on the text(s) of Scripture, but the principles of interpretation extend beyond that initial step. One of the most essential yet primitive steps is to “infer from the context what an author meant,” which will then prompt other necessary decisions, e.g., determining “whether the words are to be understood literally or figuratively.”[5] It is important for readers to notice Kaiser and Silva’s repeated emphasis on the complex and constructive undertakings in biblical hermeneutics, e.g., the fivefold-summary “guidelines” in Chapter 3,[6] the anecdotal step by step “process of principlization” (showing how “to summarize the heart of the text in ways that legitimately extend into our contemporary culture the truths and principles found in the text”),[7] and the relation of faith and history.[8]

Summary

The following quote is a helpful takeaway for interpreting the Bible in accordance with the initial directions and principles of grammatico-historical exegesis presented in this book: “The word “grammatical” referred not to the grammar and syntax of the passage but to the natural, normal, or literal meaning of the text. The word “historical” referred to the incidents attached to its story or message, namely, the events of the past, its persons, and its setting.”[9] In the search for biblical meaning, Kaiser and Silva remind their readers that an interpreter must plumb the mutual fathoms of both the language and history of the Scriptures.[10]

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[1] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning, rev. and exp. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007), 17.

[2] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 19.

[3] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 21.

[4] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 55.

[5] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 39.

[6] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 64-65.

[7] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 92.

[8] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 111-112.

[9] Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 119.

[10] “The term exegesis (used often by biblical scholars but seldom by specialists in other fields) is a fancy way of referring to interpretation. It implies that the explanation of the text has involved careful, detailed analysis. The description grammatico-historical indicates, of course, that this analysis must pay attention both to the language in which the original text was written and to the specific cultural context that gave rise to the text” (Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics, 21).

Diversity and Unity

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are vast. As Vaughan Roberts explains, “The Bible is a diverse collection of different writings. It contains sixty-six books written by about forty human authors over nearly 2,000 years.”[1] These diverse Scriptures, however, enjoy mutual unity with one another. The Apostle Peter explained and clarified to his original audience the unifying nature of the Word of God: “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21). [2] Similarly, the Apostle Paul wrote: “All scripture is inspired by God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Like a complex internet homepage with multiple pages and subpages but hosted by the same server, likewise, Divine authorship is the backend figurative server that hosts and unifies the figurative webpages of the diverse Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. This unity may seem unintuitive, especially if interpreters focus on and overemphasize obscure passages. A valuable way to navigate the diversity of the Bible, and to begin to understand how all the writings fit together, even the obscure passages, is to trace and map the development of interconnected Scriptural themes. In what follows, I will investigate the following three Scriptural themes: The Kingdom of God, the Divine covenants, and the Temple-concept.

Investigating Scriptural Themes: Kingdom of God, Divine Covenants, and Divine Presence

From Genesis to Revelation, the “Kingdom of God” is a unifying theme that “arise[s] out of Scripture itself.”[3] What is the Kingdom of God? As Vaughan Roberts summarizes, the Kingdom of God is “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.”[4] At each respective era of redemptive history, the Scriptures trace the development of the Kingdom of God from its original “pattern” to its final “perfected” state.[5] For example, Eden initially relates the theme of the Kingdom in Adam and Eve (God’s people) in the Garden (God’s place) and they are given commission to be fruitful and multiply and the prohibition to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (under God’s rule and blessing). This theme can also be detected throughout the Old Testament in the respective stories of Early Patriarchs, National Israel, etc.

The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments refer to the Kingdom of God in a twofold sense. On the one hand, God rules everything and always has throughout all creation: “O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1); “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established” (Psalm 8:3); “The LORD established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). On the other hand, God displays his kingship and dominion in heaven and on earth through a variety of characters and covenants, culminating in Jesus Christ: “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20); “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30).[6] The former and the latter sense are related. The former is sovereignly displayed and actualized in history in accordance with God’s plan of redemption, that is, it is an “unfolding kingdom.” As one source elaborates, “An unfolding kingdom refers to a particular way that God reveals, displays, or demonstrates his sovereignty throughout history.”[7] For example, God revealed, displayed, and demonstrated his sovereignty in the call of Abram (Genesis 12) and commensurate Divine covenant (Genesis 15, 17), in the preservation of Israel through Joseph’s rule (Genesis 37-50), in delivering and covenanting with National Israel (Exodus 1-20), etc.

One of the reiterated and central elements that can be identified in the various particular ways that God reveals and demonstrates his sovereignty throughout history is in the respective Divine covenant with which “God has bound himself to humans and them to himself.”[8] What is a covenant? As O. Palmer Robertson defines it: “A covenant may be defined as a bond in blood sovereignly administered.”[9] The point Robertson is making is that covenants are matters of life and death, e.g., Adam did not walk in the way of the covenant of works and the outcome was death: “sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned” (Romans 5:12); Jesus was obedient in the covenant of grace and the outcome was life: “so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all” (Romans 5:18b). The stories of the covenants transpires from the universal covenants with Adam and Noah, to the Early Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to National Israel during the Mosaic era, to National Israel, particularly under the rule and kingship of David. In each of these Old Testament covenants, “God issued both blessings and curses.”[10] This aspect of covenants demonstrates the interconnectedness with the theme of the Kingdom of God. Covenants were historical means by which God administered and expanded the Kingdom of God. As one source explains, “Each Old Testament covenant had a different covenant representatives and policies but there was organic unity despite these changes.”[11] The covenants made with different representatives at different stages of the Kingdom of God reveal God’s redemptive purposes. This revelation is a type of commentary and explanation of God’s plan of salvation, e.g., God’s covenant with Abraham revealed that his descendants were the chosen people through whom would come the promised “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), and the covenant with David revealed that this promised “seed” would be an eternal King with an everlasting Kingdom (cf. 2 Samuel 7). The themes of Kingdom and Covenants are interconnected, which is why “All the promises of the kingdom of God are fulfilled in Christ: he is God’s people, God’s place and God’s rule.”[12] When Jesus comes, he inaugurates the Kingdom of God and introduces a new covenant. During his earthly ministry, Jesus said, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20), and, at the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

There is a third theme interconnected with Kingdom and Covenant: The Temple-concept. Beginning in Genesis 1-2, we learn about God’s desire to manifest his special presence in a dwelling place with his imagers. God creates Adam and Eve. God then puts them in a Garden that is tantamount to a sanctuary. As two contemporary authors explain, “Eden is presented as a sanctuary and place where God dwells, as seen in Genesis 1-2 and the wider witness of the Old Testament. Even the seemingly casual mention of God “walking” in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8) is rich with connotations that suggest God’s presence in the temple.”[13] These authors support their claim, that Eden can be seen as the first temple, with the following lines of evidence: in the Tabernacle and Temple, the ark of the covenant resided in the Holy of Holies and contained the source of wisdom, the Law, and this corresponds to Eden which contained the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was a source that led to wisdom; death was the shared result of touching the ark or partaking of the prohibited fruit; the entrance to the temple was from the east, likewise the entrance to Eden (cp., Ezekiel 40:6; Genesis 3:24); the holy presence of God is associated with Eden and the temple.[14] In conclusion, the authors explain, “Parallels between Eden and the tabernacle/temple further demonstrate that our desire for life and purpose are properly satisfied in God’s presence.”[15]

Mapping the Interconnectedness of Scriptural Themes

One of the ways one can begin to understand how the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments fit together is to trace and map the interconnectedness of Scriptural themes. This essay is an examination of three Scriptural themes: (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) the Divine covenants, and (3) the Temple-concept. In what follows, I will examine the theme of the Temple-concept and how it is intertwined and co-developed with the theme of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God and the Temple-concept are intimately related and commensurately developed throughout the Scriptures. As one author explains, “We see in the garden of Eden [the first temple] a pattern of the kingdom of God. God’s people, Adam and Eve, live in God’s place, the garden of Eden, under God’s rule; as a result, they enjoy God’s blessing.”[16] The intertwining of the themes Kingdom of God and the Temple-concept are developed and culminate in the teachings of New Testament. All of the various iterations of earthly sanctuaries, e.g., Eden (Genesis 1-2), the small sanctuaries associated with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-37:1), the Tabernacle (Exodus), and the Temple(s) in Jerusalem (1 Kings; Ezra and Nehemiah), we are told in Hebrews that temporal sanctuary was “figurative,” that is, “a ‘copy and shadow’; Heb 8:5.”[17] Commenting on the illumination of the Temple-concept taught in Hebrews, two contemporary authors explain that “the heavenly sanctuary is the ‘literal’ sanctuary, ‘the greater and more perfect tent [tabernacle]’ (Heb 9:11) and the ‘true tent [tabernacle]’ (Heb 8:2; 9:24) . . . All of these physical temples were only intended to be small architectural models and copies of the coming true, eternal temple (see again Heb 8:5).”[18]

Starting in Genesis, the Temple-concept is developed until it culminates in Jesus, but parallel and intertwined with that theme is also the theme of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated in the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20). Jesus himself also prophesied before his crucifixion that he was going to raise (inaugurate) a new temple in his death and resurrection three days later (cf., John 2:19; Matthew 26:61, 27:40; Mark 14:58; cp. Ephesians 2:19-22). What does that mean? It means: “This new temple is both spiritual and physical. Jesus himself inaugurates this new temple in his (physical) resurrection. Believers are first ‘spiritually’ part of the temple through spiritual resurrection, and they later become an actual physical part of the temple at the time of the final resurrection (e.g., Rev 3:12; 21:1-22:5).”[19] This mashup and convergence of the themes Kingdom of God and the Temple-concept in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus provides a framework and “interpretive key” for understanding countless passages throughout the Scriptures.[20]

This is also interconnected with the Divine covenants. God has revealed his desire to relate to mankind by way of covenant, and what we see in the Scriptures is that the progressive administration of and actualization of the Kingdom of God is accomplished via covenants, e.g., God promises to send a Victor (Genesis 3:15) and then reveals to Abram that God will accomplish this through Abram and his descendants (cf. Genesis 12:1-8; 15, 17, 22). God’s special presence is associated with his self-revelation to and commissioning of all the early patriarchs, i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As O. Palmer Robertson explains, “the heartbeat of every divine covenant in the Bible” is “I will be your God and you will be my people.” Clearly the Divine covenants are interconnected with the theme Kingdom of God, i.e., “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.”[21] Throughout the narratives of the Old Testament we see again and again God making divine covenants and commissioning of his people in settings and circumstances with element and aspects that are Scripturally-symbolically associated with sanctuaries, i.e., the Temple-concept.[22] The three themes I have been examining all pointed forward to Jesus Christ. God the Son Incarnate is God’s appointed king. The Kingdom of God has come in King Jesus’ first advent. And Jesus himself told his disciples, “You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30). At the Last Supper, Jesus himself prophesied, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). In the same way God administered and expanded his plan of redemption via Divine covenants, likewise he consummately fulfilled every promise and prophesy in the covenant of grace made with Jesus Christ.

Reflection

What can be learned from tracing and examining the interconnected nature of the three Scriptural themes discussed above? How might these themes contribute to and help believers better understand, interpret, and apply the Holy Scriptures to their lives? For starters, the implications of Jesus Christ’s inaugurating a new temple in his physical resurrection is paramount. As G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim have explained, “Jesus is certainly the builder of the new temple” and “He builds his church on the foundation of the apostles’ teaching (as Paul later asserts in Eph 2:19-22), which, of course, is about himself.”[23] The inauguration of the new temple is the basis of the Pentecostal church comprised of both Jew and Gentiles from all the nations, which spreads out to the uttermost ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Acts 2). Also, the heavenly and true temple of God’s special presence is later portrayed in Revelation 21:1-22:5 as filling the “entire new cosmos,” that is, it is a “a temple that fills the heavens and earth.”[24] Believers live and serve in the context of this heavenly temple.

This knowledge should inform our understanding and interpretation of our present circumstances. Both the Kingdom of God and the heavenly and true Temple have been inaugurated and are present realities. Jesus’ rule and dominion on earth is continuing and expanding, albeit, it is not yet fully consummated. The present reality of the Kingdom and Temple confronts Christians today and forces us to wrestle with our post-Enlightenment and naturalistic understanding of the cosmos, i.e., when we start asking informed questions about the cosmos in light of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, we realize that our understanding of the cosmos is frequently not fully Scriptural. As Beale and Kim explain, “The worldview of the Old Testament, especially Genesis 1-2, viewed the cosmos as a temple.”[25] It would seem the majority of modern, evangelical Protestants do not know that and/or have lost sight of it. In Jesus Christ, Christians are behooved to view the cosmos as a temple, and, accordingly, our calling to serve as a member within the priesthood of believers; believers are both individually and corporately called to offer up spiritual worship in the context of the temple that is filling the earth (cf., Romans 12:1).

In addition, studying these three themes can help believers better notice the distinctions of the various epochs of redemptive history, particularly how these distinctions stand out in each respective epoch against the shared backdrop and scenery composed of the interconnected themes of Kingdom of God, Divine covenants, and the Temple-principle. Sustained reflection upon each epoch, e.g., Eden (Genesis 1-2), the Noahic era (Genesis 6-10), the Early Patriarchal times (Genesis 12-50), the Mosaic administration (Exodus-Deuteronomy), and the times of Israelite’s Monarchy (1 Samuel – 2 Kings), delivers dividends in more fully understanding how each of these epochs is “related to and built on one another.”[26] Although in this essay I have only rapidly and briefly traced these interconnected themes, their development through the various epochs clearly demonstrates that — from Genesis 1-2 to Revelation 21-22 — God’s creational purposes are oriented and rooted in his redemptive purposes, i.e., for Adam’s commission to be handed down to his descendants and for the children of God to be fruitful, to multiply, and to spread out to the uttermost ends of the earth, and as God’s imagers to take God’s rule and representation and make it coextensive with the entire cosmos, and that the “progress of this mission can be traced throughout the entire Bible.”[27] Specifically, this mission is perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God the Son Incarnate, who is the second Adam (cf., Romans 5). Once a believer notices and knows this important aspect of the counsel of God, then they can communicate and share it with others, so others might also more fully understand how all the Scriptures fit together and point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. All of the Scriptures, the sixty-six Scriptures that comprise both the Old and New Testaments, individually as well as collectively point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Most Christians familiar with Luke 24 will confess the former, but I hope this essay by tracing interconnected Scriptural themes has briefly demonstrated how the Scriptures together collectively are related, how they together collectively build upon one another, and how, with one voice, they speak about Jesus Christ, the King of the Kingdom of God, the Christ of the covenants, and true and heavenly Temple.  

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[1] Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 14.

[2] All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

[3] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 21.

[4] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 22.

[5] See alliterative chapter headings (Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 7-8).

[6] Note: “Confer/conferred” could also be translated “covenant/covenanted.”

[7] Third Millennium Ministries, “Kingdom and Covenant in the New Testament: The Kingdom of God,” https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/179/version/.

[8] O. Palmer Robertson, Covenants: God’s Way With His People (Suwanee: Great Commission Publications, Inc., 1987), 11.

[9] Robertson, Covenants, 11.

[10] Third Millennium Ministries, “Kingdom and Covenant in the New Testament: The New Covenant,” https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vid/180/version/.

[11] Third Millennium Ministries, “Kingdom and Covenant in the New Testament: The New Covenant.”

[12] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 115.

[13] G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim, God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 18).

[14] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 18.

[15] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 19.

[16] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 33.

[17] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 153.

[18] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 153.

[19] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 154.

[20] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 155.

[21] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 22.

[22] Beale and Kim provide overwhelming evidence for this throughout God Dwells Among Us.

[23] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 88.

[24] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 139.

[25] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 148.

[26] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 8.

[27] Beale and Kim, God Dwells Among Us, 16.

Summary

In the “Introduction” to this coherent and concise book, O. Palmer Robertson asks a sincere and timely question: “Do you want something to keep you close to God? Something that will give you confidence that you are never without him?”[1] For those seeking to cultivate confident-familiarity with God, Robertson explains, “Then you’re searching for God’s covenant, his underlying promise.”[2] What promise? Robertson says it is the “formula of hope” which can be traced from Genesis to Revelation — “I will be your God and you will be my people.”[3] Robertson explains that knowledge of God’s covenants, i.e., that “God has committed himself so that he can be forever your God and you can be his people,” will “stabilize your personal life” and “sensitize your soul to a new awareness of God’s agenda in the world.”[4] Robertson confidently contends that “God’s covenants provide the foundation and structure for life.”[5]

In the following 13 chapters, Robertson traces each of the divine covenants in the Bible. For each of the covenants – Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant – Robertson highlights respective emphases but also explains how each of the divine covenants “illuminates the cross.”[6]

Chapters 1-3 defines what a covenant is, discusses the covenantal beginnings, and the “cosmic implications” of the covenant made with Adam.[7] Chapter 4 is appropriately titled “Preservation for Salvation” and discusses the covenant during the time of Noah. [8] The promise of the Noahic covenant embraces “the whole of creation,” resulting in that “every living creature benefits from its blessing (Gen. 9:10).”[9] The Noahic covenant ensures the preservation and stability of creation in accordance with God’s salvific purposes. Why have a creation-wide covenant? Because “Redemption is as broad as creation.” [10] Creation is preserved so God’s decree and redemptive will might be actualized in time, i.e., there must be a figurative theater stage for the actors in the story of redemption. This covenant is not redemptive in the same sense the latter covenants are. In the following sense, however, it is indirectly redemptive: “Because of the regularity of day and night as established in the covenant with Noah all men and women receive testimony of the grace of God.”[11]

Chapters 5-7 discuss the covenant made with Abraham, the sign of the covenant, and explains how the “signs and seals of the old and new covenants are also the same in essence.”[12] The patterns of the Abrahamic covenant reveal that “God is concerned to redeem families, not merely individuals,” and the new covenant prophecies of Jeremiah “also speaks of God’s continuing commitment to redeem households.”[13] Robertson transitions in Chapters 8 and 9 to an insightful discussion on the Law and Mosaic covenant. Robertson emphasizes the Mosaic Law and covenant “must not be confused with the original covenant of works made with Adam,” e.g., in contrast to the covenant of works the Mosaic “law code” contained the “provision of sacrifice in the event of sin.”[14] Next, in Chapter 10, Robertson discusses the Davidic covenant, i.e., the promise that “David’s house, kingdom and throne are established forever (2 Sam. 7:16).”[15] Robertson elaborates and explains that “God tells David that his descendant who rules after him will be designated as God’s own son: ‘I will be his father, and he will be my son.’”[16] The consistent testimony of the New Testament it is Jesus Christ “the Messiah of David” who is God’s own Son who “sits on God’s throne, which is David’s throne.”[17]

Robertson concludes his book with three significant chapters. In Chapter 11, he discusses the New Covenant and how Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises of the former divine covenants. The New Covenant is “the last covenant” because “that which God has intended all along in redemption” will be accomplished in the New Covenant.[18] In Chapter 12, Robertson gives helpful suggestions for tracing continuity from the former covenants into the New Covenant. Robertson explains, “Balance must be found between continuity and newness in the relation of the old covenant to the new.”[19] There are both contrasting as well as continuous aspects of the old and new covenant, but the contrast is “drastic” which means “the new covenant must not be seen merely as a renewal of the old covenant.”[20] The New Covenant is definitively and meaningfully different than the old. Robertson tells his readers that “the newness of the new covenant must be appreciated more fully.” [21] This newness is most appreciated when we study the scriptures of the Old and New Testament and understand and appreciate how the “new covenant completes the redemption promised under the old.”[22] In the final chapter, Robertson surveys each of the divine covenants and explains how each “covenant highlights the majesty and might of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[23] As mentioned earlier, it is Robertson’s contention that “the covenant magnifies the cross.”[24] Robertson throughout this short book demonstrates precisely how the divine covenants magnify the cross.

Personal Application

Personal application for myself is largely drawn from Robertson’s clarifying and powerful final chapter on how “all roads lead to the cross.”[25] This is chiefly why knowledge of the covenants can stabilize your life, i.e., there is nothing more foundational or comforting than the cross of Christ. Experientially speaking, I can personally attest that knowledge of God’s covenants has and continues to be a stabilizing force for my personal life. The old covenants promise, and the New Covenant affirms, that God through Christ has committed himself to be our God and we his people forever. Robertson succinctly demonstrated that Christ and the Cross can be found in the Garden, at the Flood, in the life of Abraham, with Israel in the wilderness, and in King David.[26] All of these former divine covenants are “old-covenant shadows” and they “come to consummate realization in the cross of the new covenant.”[27] Robertson’s main takeaway for me is this, and I think it should be life changing for every believer: “Since the cross serves as the center of history there can be no other focus for your life.”[28] It is always a good reminder to be focused and centered on the cross of Christ, especially these days! When a believer understands that they “are bound in covenant relation with God just as firmly as was Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David,” it is truly illuminating – because God’s “ancient bond with particular peoples is the only way to unravel the complex issues of [twenty-first]-century politics.”[29] The present American political-scene is deeply underwhelming. The present world-wide Covid-induced economic and political fallout is depressing. Local, national, and international political and social trends are seemingly bad, but when I remember God’s ancient bond and the ancient formula of hope (Gen. 17:7-8), all those complex issues are quickly unraveled by God’s Good News that “into the arena of human history one single saving hero [has entered].”[30] Indeed, the time between Adam and Christ is the unfolding of the “the long history of the two seeds” per Genesis 3:15, but it is still unfolding as we anticipate the consummation of the Kingdom.[31] That is not a bad thing. The divine covenants and promises were not enacted in an instant, which reminds us that we also need to be patient like our holy forefathers.[32] For now, this book was a good reminder to patiently rest and repose in the Christ of the cross. “Because covenant and cross are bound together, [I] can live every day with absolute confidence that whatever comes into [my] life originates from the loving hand of [my] Father. He has bound himself [to me] in love through the bond of the covenant in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[33] Thank the Lord!

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[1] O. Palmer Robertson, Covenants: God’s Way With His People (Suwanee: Great Commission Publications, Inc., 1987), 5.

[2] Robertson, Covenants, 5.

[3] Robertson, Covenants, 5.

[4] Robertson, Covenants, 5.

[5] Robertson, Covenants, 6.

[6] Robertson, Covenants, 121.

[7] Robertson, Covenants, 18.

[8] Robertson, Covenants, 29.

[9] Robertson, Covenants, 36.

[10] Robertson, Covenants, 31.

[11] Robertson, Covenants, 37.

[12] Robertson, Covenants, 61.

[13] Robertson, Covenants, 67-68.

[14] Robertson, Covenants, 75.

[15] Robertson, Covenants, 96

[16] Robertson, Covenants, 94.

[17] Robertson, Covenants, 97.

[18] Robertson, Covenants, 108.

[19] Robertson, Covenants, 111.

[20] Robertson, Covenants, 112.

[21] Robertson, Covenants, 113.

[22] Robertson, Covenants, 113.

[23] Robertson, Covenants, 121.

[24] Robertson, Covenants, 121.

[25] Robertson, Covenants, 121.

[26] See Chapter 13 (Robertson, Covenants, 121-129).

[27] Robertson, Covenants, 128.

[28] Robertson, Covenants, 129.

[29] Robertson, Covenants, 129, 6.

[30] Robertson, Covenants, 26.

[31] Robertson, Covenants, 26.

[32] Regarding patient faith, see Hebrews 11.

[33] Robertson, 128.

Fitting Scripture Together

The author begins the book with a personal anecdote of meeting a young man who took him on a ten minute “whistle-stop tour of the whole Bible that left my head reeling.”[1] In those ten minutes, the young man took him on a journey from the original creation (Genesis 1-2) to the new creation (Revelation 21), making all the necessary stops along the way. The young man led him on a journey through the “tabernacle in the wilderness; the temple in Jerusalem; the new-temple prophecies of Ezekiel; the Lord Jesus Christ who ‘tabernacled’ among us (John 1:14, literally); and the church (‘a holy temple in the Lord’, Ephesians 2:21).”[2] Roberts recounted that even though he had completed a theology degree prior to this whistle-stop tour, he had never before been shown how all of the diverse writings of the Bible fit together. He asked his new friend how he was able to navigate the Bible with such ease, and his friend introduced him to Graeme Goldsworthy’s book Gospel and Kingdom.[3] In the Preface, Roberts admits the influence of Goldsworthy’s book upon God’s Big Picture. Roberts explains, “I adopt largely the same approach, but hope to do so in a slightly less technical way.”[4] I have not read Gospel and Kingdom, but I can personally attest that God’s Big Picture is a clear, coherent, and concise presentation of the storyline of the Bible. By my estimation, what Roberts hoped to accomplish he has with the “apparent ease” that characterized the friend he mentioned in the Preface.

Kingdom of God

After some background and introductory matters, Roberts summarizes the storyline of the Bible in eight sections of the redemptive history. Each section corresponds to one of the eight chapters of the book in which Roberts uses the “kingdom of God” as unifying theme.

The various aspects of the storyline of the Bible are presented with alliterative chapter headings: “The pattern of the kingdom” (Genesis 1:1-2:25); “The perished kingdom” (Genesis 3); “The promised kingdom” (Genesis 17:1-8; Galatians 3:6-14); “The partial kingdom” (Genesis 12-Exodus 18; 19:1-13; 20:1-17; 2 Samuel 7:1-17); “The prophesied kingdom” (Hosea 1-3); “The present kingdom” (Luke 1:39-80; 2:25-32); “The proclaimed kingdom” (2 Corinthians 4); “The perfected kingdom” (Revelation 21:1-8; 21:22-22:5).[5] This alliterative unifying theme is pedagogical, but Roberts explains it is not arbitrary—this theme (kingdom of God) does “arise out of Scripture itself.”[6]

In his Introduction, Roberts defines the kingdom of God as “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing.”[7] Roberts traces the storyline of the Bible through each of the chapters, and he concludes each with a table showing how the kingdom, the principle of God’s people-place-rule, was manifested during each of the respective eras of redemptive history.[8] In every chapter, Roberts demonstrates how each successive age testified about Jesus (cf. John 5:39), e.g., in Chapter 4, “The partial kingdom,” Roberts’ aim is to show “how God’s promise of the kingdom is partially fulfilled in the history of Israel.”[9] Roberts does this by focusing on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the Israelites. He concisely explains how many of God’s kingdom promises were partially fulfilled in the respective historical events of the Patriarchs and the Nation of Israel, but that this “partial kingdom” was “just a shadow of the perfect kingdom God will establish through Jesus Christ.”[10] Roberts likens “The partial kingdom” to a model, a model which God will never rebuild again because “he will establish the real thing in and through Jesus.”[11] Finally, in Chapter 8, Roberts examines the “real thing,” i.e., “The perfected kingdom” revealed and highlighted in the Book of Revelation, where he shows the principle of God’s place-people-rule is manifested in the “Multi-national family of God” = God’s people, the “New creation, new Jersualem, new temple” = God’s place, and the “Throne of God and the Lamb; perfect blessing” = God’s rule.[12]

With eight chapters Roberts briefly summarizes and traces the storyline of the Bible with his presentation of the respective manifestations of the unifying theme of the “kingdom of God.” Roberts concludes this helpful book with a particularly pastoral Epilogue. Having taken his readers through all the Scriptures, his epilogue “prayer” is that his readers know, teach, and love “Christ through all the Scriptures.”[13]

Conclusion

In the Preface of this beautiful book, Roberts says, “I want to put into the reader’s hands the map that I have found so helpful.”[14] I can personally attest that Roberts has done so. This little book really is a non-technical “map” to aid fellow believers. With this “map” it is possible to find one’s bearings and meaningfully make one’s way around the Bible. In the past I have recommended several books that present a high-level overview or survey of the Bible, but going forward this will be my first recommendation.

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[1] Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 9.

[2] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 9-10.

[3] Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom (Exeter: Paternoster, 1981).

[4] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 10.

[5] See chapters and respective headings under “Contents” (Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 7-8).

[6] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 21.

[7] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 22.

[8] See Figures 7, 8, 13, 21, 27, 31, 38, 42 (Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 34, 44, 56, 85, 108, 122, 141, 158).  

[9] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 59-60.

[10] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 89.

[11] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 90.

[12] See Figure 42 (Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 158).

[13] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 163.

[14] Roberts, God’s Big Picture, 10.