2 Samuel 7:18-29

David's Prayer (1 Chr 17.16-27)

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD; you have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord GOD! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people nations and their gods? 24 And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you, O LORD, became their God. 25 And now, O LORD God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. 26 Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, 'The LORD of hosts is God over Israel'; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house'; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; 29 now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever." (2 Samuel 7:18-29, NRSV)

David’s prayer responds to the LORD’s promises (2 Sam. 7:5-16) delivered by Nathan the prophet (v. 17). “Who am I, O Lord GOD,” says David, and what is my house (beth = “family”), that you have brought me thus far?” (v. 18). (For the four meanings of “house,” beth, in this chapter, see yesterday’s comments, Wednesday, December 21, 2005.) “You [God] have spoken also of your servant’s house (dynasty) for a great while to come,” says David, noting the relevance of this promise as “instruction for the people” (v. 19). David is grateful (v. 20), praising God’s greatness (vv. 21-22), and God’s choice, redemption and provision for his people Israel (vv. 23-24). As David’s grateful prayer reviews the promise of an everlasting dynasty, he prays that the LORD will “confirm it forever” (v. 25). With the LORD’s “blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever” (v. 29). As noted yesterday, the promise here of an everlasting dynasty has fueled Jewish messianic expectations and Christian eschatological hopes for Christ’s everlasting kingdom.

Galatians 3:1-14

3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! 2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Did you experience so much for nothing?-if it really was for nothing. 5 Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

6 Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," 7 so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." 9 For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.

10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law." 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for "The one who is righteous will live by faith." 12 But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, "Whoever does the works of the law will live by them." 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"- 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:1-14, NRSV)

Paul states the main thesis, his main point, in Galatians 2:15-21. “And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law” (Gal. 2:16b). This thesis is supported by a series of arguments. He reminds the Galatians of his ministry in Galatia when, through Paul’s ministry, “Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified” (3:1). They received the Spirit–was it “by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?” (v. 2). His first argument appeals directly to their own experience of receiving the gospel. Then Paul turns to a scriptural proof, referring to Abraham who “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (v. 6, citing Gen. 15:6; cf. Rom. 4:3). Paul sees Abraham not only as the father of Israel, but especially as the father and prototype of those who are justified by faith in Christ. “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you” (v. 9, citing Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18), says Paul. “For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed” (v. 9). Paul elaborates on this theme in Romans:

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his [Abraham’s] descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’ [Gen. 17:5])–in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (Rom. 4:16-17, NRSV)

The third argument relies again on scripture to establish that “all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse” (v. 10), but “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (v. 13). “The one who is righteous will live by faith” (v. 11, citing Hab. 2:4). Through Christ’s redemption, the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles, “so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (v. 14).

Luke 1:57-66

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60 But his mother said, "No; he is to be called John." 61 They said to her, "None of your relatives has this name." 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. Luke 1:57-66, NRSV)

Parents look forward to the child's first words, don't they? They marvel at simple expressions. But when an older man is struck dumb for a while, his later utterances may count as something of a miracle. Because Zechariah could not believe Gabriel's promise of the birth of John, he emerged from his service in the sanctuary unable to speak (Lk. 1:18-20). Later his first words were written, "His name is John" (v. 63). The act of writing this, it seems, opened his mouth and freed his tongue (v. 64). But his first spoken words of which we know are the prophecy known as the Benedictus (Lk. 1:67-79). (This paragraph is repeated here from an E-mail sent December 22, 2003, for December 23, 2003. The Benedictus will be included in the reading for tomorrow, Friday of the fourth week of Advent.)

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com