Lede:
David makes a heinous blunder with Bathsheba, and it’s God that shows up beautiful in the story.
Intro:
So at the end of yesterday’s romp through 2 Samuel we began into a section covering Israel’s war (or wars) with the Ammonites, and the narrative shows David to be not only an adept military commander and civil administrator, but a beneficent ruler as well. And today we’ll get to the end of that ‘war with the Ammonites’ section, but what happens in between…oh my. It’s one of those stories that reminds us of God’s glory and awesomeness because David, like many other “heroes” of Christianity could be dumber than the south end of a northbound horse, too.
Before we get there, however, we’ll be kicking off the book of Romans which is one of those chewy books that illuminates God’s judging and saving righteousness. It kicks off by presenting the gospel as the revelation of God’s righteousness, and then we spend the next couple days hearing about his righteousness revealed through his wrath about the sin of the Gentiles.
New covenant:
Passage: Romans 1
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 32
Words: ~700
Wisdom:
Passage:
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses:
Words: ~
Old covenant:
Passage: 2 Samuel 11-12
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 40
Words: ~1191
Commentary:
Already but Not Yet
The message of the NT cannot be separated from that of the OT. The OT promised that God would save his people, beginning with the promise that the seed of the woman would triumph over the seed of the Serpent (Gen. 3:15).
God’s saving promises were developed especially in the covenants he made with his people:
· (1) the covenant with Abraham promised God’s people land, seed, and universal blessing (Gen. 12:1–3);
· (2) the Mosaic covenant pledged blessing if Israel obeyed the Lord (Exodus 19–24);
· (3) the Davidic covenant promised a king in the Davidic line forever, and that through this king the promises originally made to Abraham would become a reality (2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; 132); and
· (4) the new covenant promised that God would give his Spirit to his people and write his law on their hearts, so that they would obey his will (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 36:26–27).
As…Jesus arrived on the scene, it was obvious that God’s saving promises had not yet been realized. …The universal blessing promised to Abraham was scarcely a reality, for even in Israel it was sin, not righteousness, that reigned…
…The kingdom of God, however, came in a most unexpected way. The Jews had anticipated that when the kingdom arrived, the enemies of God would be immediately wiped out and a new creation would dawn (Isa. 65:17). (But)…the kingdom did not come with apocalyptic power but in a small and almost imperceptible form. It was as small as a mustard seed, and yet it would grow into a great tree that would tower over the entire earth….
In other words, the kingdom was already present in Jesus and his ministry, but it was not yet present in its entirety. It was “already—but not yet.” It was inaugurated but not consummated.
Jesus fulfilled the role of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53, taking upon himself the sins of his people and suffering death for the forgiveness of their sins. The day of judgment was still to come in the future, even though there would be an interval between God’s beginning to fulfill his promises in Jesus (the kingdom inaugurated) and the final realization of his promises (the kingdom consummated)….
The (gospels)…focus on Eternal life…the life of the age to come, which will be realized when the new creation dawns. Remarkable in John’s Gospel is the claim that those who believe in the Son enjoy the life of the coming age now. Those who have put their faith in Jesus have already passed from death to life (John 5:24–25)…Still, John also looks ahead to the day of the final resurrection, when every person will be judged for what he or she has done (John 5:28–29)….
The already-not-yet theme dominates the entire NT and functions as a key to grasping the whole story (see chart). The resurrection of Jesus indicates that the age to come has arrived, that now is the day of salvation. In the same way the gift of the Holy Spirit represents one of God’s end-time promises….The last days have come through Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1–2), through whom we have received God’s final and definitive word.
… Jesus has been raised from the dead, but believers await the resurrection of their bodies and must battle against sin until the day of redemption (Rom. 8:10–13, 23; 1 Cor. 15:12–28; 1 Pet. 2:11). Jesus reigns on high at the right hand of God, but all things have not yet been subjected to him (Heb. 2:5–9).[1] (emphases mine)
Love you!
-Roger
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
[1] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1803.