Understanding the Promise (Part 2 of 4)

Music playing Music playing And then, thirdly, we interpret what is earlier in light of what comes later or in light of what is fuller. That, of course, I think, makes perfect sense. This is why we say to one another that there is a value in reading the Bible backwards. Because the way in which God has made known his Word, the mystery that he has made known—this comes again and again in various places—in Hebrews and in chapter 12. And I go here because one of the great questions that is before us in dealing with 2 Samuel 7 has to do with the city, it has to do with Zion, it has to do with Jerusalem, it has to do with a place, and so on. And I can guarantee you that if I were to conduct a survey throughout the listening congregation right now, there would be a significant divergence on views in relationship to how all of this is fulfilled or will be fulfilled. And many will be saying, That is why we must always be looking to what's going on in Jerusalem. That is why we must always be looking to what's happening in the Middle East, because it is all about what is there in the Bible. Well, of course, there is a tremendous amount there in the Bible, but is that what it's all about? And how do we determine that?

Well, one of the ways in which we determine it is by recognizing that the earlier is explained by the later and is explained by the fuller. So, Hebrews chapter 12. What the writer does here is make a big distinction between two mountains. One mountain is Mount Sinai, and he's referring to all that took place there when the people came trembling before that. And you'll see that in verse 18.

I'm not going to read it all to you. The word was given, If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned. It was so terrifying that even Moses said, I tremble with fear.

He says, Now, that's what was going on. You know that in the history of the people of God, that that was there on that mountain. But that's not where you are, because you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. Now, he's not talking about Jerusalem. You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. You say, Well, why did you say he's not talking about Jerusalem?

Because it says it in the text. The heavenly Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem. Now, how had they come to the heavenly Jerusalem? Well, they had come through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the new covenant in my blood, which is given for you for the remission of your sins. And so you have come now to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. You are now part of a huge congregation. Some of them have already finished the race.

Some of them are already in heaven. But you are united in this company. You are already united in this company.

Why? Because your names have been recorded in the register of heaven. And if that's not enough to jazz you, think about it before the creation of the world. And this assembly is made up of those who have been gathered through the gospel as a result of the gospel being proclaimed to you, and you have believed.

And others have finished the race, and you're still in it. But what he's actually saying there is something absolutely amazing. You have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Do you get it? You understand what he's saying? He's saying, boundaries of time and space and even death are meaningless to those who are in fellowship with Jesus. So when we think about the two percent in Vietnam, they are part of this assembly.

Through Christ, we are part of this assembly. So what are we looking to? To the Middle East? To modern-day Jerusalem?

No! Why not? Because the Bible is helping us to understand where our gaze is to be set. Palmer Robinson says, quite categorically, and I think he's absolutely right, the only Zion that remains is the place of Christ's rule at the right hand of the Father. Now, I say to you again—and that's why I began as I began—our commitment to the infallibility of Scripture is not a commitment that acknowledges the absolute infallibility of the interpretation of any one passage of Scripture.

So we can all relax, you see. We know that the Holy Spirit knows, we know that the Bible will make itself plain, and we know that when we say we're going to take the Bible literally, we don't mean something silly. People say, Well, when you say these things, aren't you guilty, then, of failing to take the Bible literally? And what they usually mean by that is, if it says this, it must mean this. Well, no, because the Bible uses all kinds of literary forms, doesn't it? I was pointing out in Acts chapter 27 that if we take the literary form of Acts 27, which is in historical record, there is no legitimate basis for turning that into a sermon on reading your Bibles and on prayer. You can do it if you want.

No one will die from it. But that's clearly not why it's there. When, for example, in Chronicles it says that the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth, there's not a person over the age of seven who actually thinks that there are two literal eyes scanning the entire universe. It is a metaphor. Therefore, to understand the Bible literally means that we understand it in the literary form in which it is conveyed, so that there is analogy, there is poetry, there is history, there's imagery, there's typology, and so on. And if we're going to take it in that way, then we need to make sure that we don't go wrong.

You take, for example, maybe a strange illustration of this. But you remember after the Transfiguration—and people always ask me about this, because we haven't sung it for a long time, but we're used to saying, These are the days of Elijah. And people would write to me and say, What are you talking about, the days of Elijah? This is not the days of… and so on. I didn't even know the answer.

But I'm closer to it now, since I was studying this week. And after the Transfiguration, the disciples in Matthew 17, as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus says, I don't want you to tell anybody of this until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. And the disciples asked him, Well, in that case, why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come? And Jesus said, Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. And in the same way, the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.

Now, here's the question. John the Baptist is not literally Elijah. He's John the Baptist. Verse 13. Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. If you want to see the prophetic ministry of Elijah, you'll see it in John the Baptist. Now, what is Jesus doing there?

Well, he's doing what I'm suggesting to you we need to be able to do. You see, the Bible is a book about Jesus. And when we take our eyes off Jesus, then we'll inevitably go haywire. There's little doubt about it. Let me give you just one other one.

I'm sure you're just having as much fun as I am. So, remember, after the wedding in Cana of Galilee, the cleansing of the temple. And the Jews said to him—because, incidentally, the Jews were big literalists, right? We take this thing literally. We're very concerned about the Bible.

We want to know exactly what it says and so on, and justifiably so. So they said to him, What sign do you show us for doing these things? He's cleansed the temple.

He's turned water into wine. Essentially, they say, Who do you think you are? And Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. They respond literally.

Are you kidding me? It took forty-six years to build the temple, they said to one another, and you will raise it up in three days. Now, I'd love to hear from John or one of the other disciples exactly what they were thinking in that moment.

Because there's a more-than-even chance, you know, when you're not that bright at school and you don't understand what's going on, and then somebody asks the question, and everybody thinks they're silly for asking it, and you're like, Oh, I'm so glad they asked that question, because I don't know the answer either. Well, I wouldn't be at all surprised if we got the disciples together and said, You know, when the Jewish guy asked that question, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'm saying to myself, What are you on about now? Destroy the temple, and I will raise it up in three days? But he was speaking about the temple of his body when, therefore, he was raised from the dead.

His disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that he had spoken. You see? That the later confirms the former.

The later explains it. When he said it, the people said, It's an impossibility. He wasn't referring to that. And if you read on in John's Gospel, you find that this comes again and again—Jesus addressing the Jews, himself a Jew, recognizing the way they approach everything.

No, let me just give you one other. The testimony that I have, he says, is greater than John. He's talking about John the Baptist. This is John 5. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I'm doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you've never heard, his form you've never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you.

Well, that's a real stinger right there. Because that was one thing they were into was the Bible, was the Old Testament Scriptures, was the law. If anybody has the word abiding in us, we have the word abiding in us.

We're word people. We're Bible people. You do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. And it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you might have life. I'm going to say more about this this evening, but this is, of course, the great dilemma, isn't it, in witnessing to our Jewish friends? Many of my Jewish friends have just no interest at all, and so you have to start from square one.

Others of them are very politically oriented. And so, especially if they're Zionist Jews, they're desperately keen that my interpretation of Jerusalem and the land will fit, you know, with them. And you see this all the time on Christian television and on Christian radio. But very few of the Christian professors are prepared to do what Jesus does here and say to their Jewish friends, You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and yet they bear witness to Jesus.

And you want me to unite with you on this political agenda? But listen, the political agenda will die, no matter who's right and who's wrong, and you too will die, and you will die lost for eternity without the one of whom the Scriptures speak. When the psalmist says, We find our refuge in you, O LORD, he is speaking ultimately about Christ himself. Now, you see, when we get this, then it will help us in 2 Samuel 7. Oh, this is about 2 Samuel 7, says somebody.

I had forgotten all about that. No. No, I get that. Some of you are confused. Some of you are distressed. Some of you are annoyed.

Three of you might be remotely helped. But let me just remind you of what I'm telling you. To understand the Bible is hard work—helped by the Holy Spirit, but it's still hard work.

And the reason that many of us are where we are is because we've never done the hard work of Scripture. They don't really read it. They don't ask questions of it. We don't memorize it. We pretty well just wait for somebody to tell us something about it, and then we go home and not worry about it for another six days, and maybe he'll tell me something about it again next week, and that'll help me through.

Well, shame on us. How would anybody coming from another country ever believe that we are committed to the study of the Word of God? Well, we're going to come back to this, as I say, this evening. And last time, you will remember that we dealt with the proposal that David brought to build a house for God, i.e., a place for the ark. That was responded to by the perspective of God, who says, You're not going to build a house for me, but I will make a house for you.

To that we're going to come. And he says, The reason you're not is because I never had one, I never needed one, and I never wanted one. And then he said, But when it comes to my making a house for you, I want you to make sure you understand. And it is that that is entrusted, then, to Nathan in verse 8, Therefore you shall say to my servant David, Thus says the LORD of hosts. And before he actually gets to the promise itself, he charges Nathan with the responsibility to remind David of the facts as they have unfolded. Number one, of God's purpose for him. And I'll just outline them for you here.

You can take them away with you. Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. That was his purpose for him. It was a surprising purpose. It wasn't something that David initiated.

It wasn't something that any member of his family thought was going to happen. The LORD said to Samuel, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. Very interestingly, he says, I provided for him a king for myself.

You remember, when they put Saul in position, they wanted a king for themselves, so that we can be like all the other nations. And now God says, You need to remember, David, that I am the one. You're the one who's sitting around your house trying to think up something good to do for me. Well, let me tell you, don't forget what I've done for you. Don't you forget my purpose for you.

I came and got you when you were a shepherd boy. And this is the wonder of God's initiative. His purpose for him, his presence with him. Verse 9, And I have been with you wherever you went. What a wonderful reminder it is. And David knew that. And his protection of him. And I have cut off all your enemies from before you.

It's wonderful, isn't it? God's purpose, God's presence, and God's protection. So instead of David thinking about what he might do, he's reminded of what God has done for him. Let's just end with that thought of reminder.

It is vitally important. It comes again and again in the Scriptures. We know that, how the Word of God to his people is constantly, Take care lest you forget.

Take care lest you forget. I think that's the twelfth verse of 6 of Deuteronomy, it is. Then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. What is that a picture of? What's the Exodus a picture of? The later in light of the farmer.

It's the great picture of our being brought out from the slavery and bondage of our own lives. Take care that you don't forget. Don't forget where you were. Fear him. Serve him. Don't go after other gods.

How would that happen? Because you forget the Lord. That's why you teach it to your children when you walk along the road, when you lie down, when you get up. That's why your parents bring you in here. You're going, Oh, is he gonna stop soon?

Why is he saying this? What is it? Yeah, but listen, listen. They love you. They love you so much that they bring you, so that you might even know this, that we might know who God is, that he loves us, so that you might remember the LORD your God. You shall remember the LORD your God. For it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant, that he swore to your fathers as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God. Newton writes that great hymn, which begins, Begone unbelief, my Savior is near. And he has that lovely verse, His love in time past forbids me to think, He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink.

For each Ebenezer, each picture, each emblem, each memorial to his faithfulness, for each Ebenezer I hold in review confirms his great promise to bring me right through. How was David gonna navigate his way through this? He wasn't a perfect king. He messes up. How could it possibly be?

Because God, when he commits himself to his people, he brings to completion the good work that he begins. And so, when he says that his promise is that he will set his king on Zion's Hill, which is actually Psalm 2, and even though the nations of the world laugh at him and rebel against him and say, Let us break his bonds and let us have nothing to do with him at all, he says, Don't you worry. Don't you worry. Don't you worry.

Cheer up. You're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life. Alistair returns in just a moment. You know, like King David, any of us can go astray if we focus on our own efforts and we fail to remember God's purpose, his presence, and his protection. All of God's blessings are wrapped up in his promises. Today we want to recommend to you a book that will help you unpack God's promises to his people and give you fresh insight into his faithfulness to uphold his promises. The book is titled Covenant Foundations, Understanding the Promise-Keeping God of the Bible.

Taking a closer look at God's covenants will give you a better understanding of his unfailing love for his people. If you're experiencing a difficult season in life, this book will be a great source of strength and encouragement. Ask for your copy of Covenant Foundations. When you donate today, you can give a one-time gift to truthforlife.org slash donate, or you can arrange to set up an automatic monthly donation when you visit truthforlife.org slash truthpartner or call us at 888-588-7884.

And if you'd rather mail your donation along with your request for the book, write to us at Truth for Life, Post Office Box 398000, Cleveland, Ohio 44139. Now here's Alistair with the closing prayer. Father, we want to learn how to read our Bibles, we want to learn how to study properly, we want to meet Jesus in the pages of Scripture, and we want to ask you to help us. We thank you that you don't take on all of our bright ideas, you don't need them, and we thank you that your plans and purposes from all of eternity will be brought to completion, and that when you have told us, as we find it here in the pages of your Word, that you will accomplish your purposes in this way, we take you at your word, and we rejoice in it, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for listening this week. Hope you have a great weekend and are able to worship with your local church. On Monday, we'll learn how God's promise to David looked forward, even as it looked backward. How's that possible? We'll find out next week. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.