By Rev. Adrian Grubbs
Winter Quarter: A King Forever and Ever Unit 2: Our God Reigns
We in the United States of America take great pride in our democratic form of government, and we abhor the thought of kings and kingdoms. There was a time, however, when kings ruled, and that is the language of the Bible, which speaks of the LORD God as King, and His faithful followers as His subjects. Many of the psalms in the Bible are hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God, our King. This month we will study four of these Psalms.
Psalm 10 begins by questioning God’s aloofness. There are those who think that God created the world, set everything in motion, then went away on a long vacation. We know that God is with us every moment of every day; and when He seems far off, we know who moved away. Some folks are afraid to question God, but God is not threatened by our questions. In verse one the psalmist questions why God is so far away; then he affirms that God sees and hears what is happening, and He cares. God sees the plight of the poor and the plotting of the wicked who oppress the poor and powerless. The wicked think that God is not aware of what they are doing, that is, if there really is a God (v. 4). Verses 12-18 gives assurance that God hears and sees, and He cares and acts of behalf of the poor. The Hebrew word for “poor” is used in verses 2, 9 12, and 17 and variously translated as poor, humble, oppressed, and meek. Whether people realize it or not, Yahweh is King in all the world and for all time! (v. 16).
Psalm 93:3-4 suggests a scene of one sitting at a beach watching the waves roll in and listening to the roar of the breakers. It reminds the psalmist of the LORD’s majesty. The LORD set the world firmly in place; His throne and His kingship is secure for all time (vv. 1, 2). And the laws [referring to the Torah] He has given is just as solid and secure (v. 5) as His throne.
“Bless” in Psalm 103 has the sense of “giving praise” but has a wider meaning as the opposite of “curse.” The phrase “O my soul” in verses 1, 2, and 22 actually means “myself, my entire being, all that I am.” We are influenced more by the Greek idea of “soul” than by the Biblical concept. In Genesis 2:7 God created humanity from dust, breathed into him the breath of life, and he became a “living soul” – he was not given a soul, but becomes a soul. The psalmist goes on to list many attributes of the LORD who he blesses: He is benevolent, forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies, renews, and is merciful (or “steadfast love” in the NRSV and occurs four times in Psalm 103). How vast is Yahweh’s mercy? – as far as the stars from the earth, and east from west (the vertical and the horizontal, the X and Y axis, the form of the cross) (verses 11 and 12). It is significant that in verse 7 the LORD revealed His ways and His acts to Moses and to His people; and Yahweh still reveals His ways and His acts to His people. Comparing Psalm 103:7-10 with Exodus 34:1, 6-7, the psalmist emphasizes the mercy of the LORD but not iniquity to the 3rd and 4th generation. Some people think that God is judgmental; the LORD is just, but not judgmental.
Psalm 145 is the only psalm specifically designated as a hymn of praise (many psalms are hymns of praise but are not designated as such). The poem is an alphabetic acrostic, where each verse begins with the corresponding letter in the Hebrew alphabet – except for verse 13 which incorporates both the 13th and 14th letters. The poem has two lines to each verse, except for verse 13 which has four lines. The poem begins with “I will bless” and ends with “all flesh will bless”; and verse 10 declares that “all Your works” give thanks and praise to the LORD. What is the purpose of all this giving God praise? – besides the fact that it is something we need to do, and besides the fact that He is King of the world? Verse 4 suggests that it be passed from one generation on to another, and verse 12 says it is to make known His mighty acts to all people. What does it say to the world when God’s people gather to worship the Creator of the cosmos? And what does it say when God’s people forsake the assembling together, and when God’s people act like the world around us? No! We must always give glory, honor, and praise to God our King!
Unit 3: Life in God’s Kingdom
We like the idea of a democracy, where everyone has equal opportunity, everyone has a vote, and majority rules. But God’s Kingdom is not a democracy; Yahweh is King, His will and rule is without question. Everyone, however, does have a choice – the choice to be in His Kingdom, the choice to be faithful and obedient to Him - or not (see John 3:18). In February we examine several passages in the Gospel of Matthew to see what Jesus had to say about the Kingdom of Heaven (“Kingdom of God” in the other Gospels). Matthew has five sections along with an introduction and conclusion. Each section ends with, “when Jesus had finished…” (7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and 26:1). Matthew presents Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and His followers as the New Israel. Jesus began His public ministry proclaiming, “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven has come near” (4:17). Matthew’s Gospel shows the Kingdom of Heaven breaking into our world through Jesus. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, He meant His Kingdom on earth. In the Lord’s Prayer we continue to pray for God’s will and Kingdom to come to us in this world.
The first text in our study is
It begins with Jesus saying, “And when you pray” – not IF, but WHEN, you pray. Many people honestly say, “But I don’t know how to pray.” Well, Jesus gave us a model. There is nothing magical about the words; there are no formulas that must be spoken; we only have to talk plainly to the LORD. And when we cannot find the words to express what is on our hearts and minds, Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit knows and intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). To begin, we need to remember to Whom we are speaking – our heavenly Father. In addressing God as our Father, we are also acknowledging that we are His children whom He loves. It is our constant prayer that His kingdom and His will be manifest on earth (although it seems that many Christians long to escape this world to go to heaven and do not really expect God’s Kingdom, His will, His domain, to come into our world. When we ask for daily bread, we pray not just for “me” or “you and me” but for all of us. When we ask God for bread for the world, do not be surprised if He wants to use us in supplying it. To forgive is hard but necessary – and Jesus gives His people the power to forgive. Crises and challenges come to us all from time to time, and our prayer is that we not be overwhelmed by temptation and be delivered from worldly evil. When we pray, just saying the words is not sufficient – the words must come from the heart.
In Matthew 11 John the Baptist from prison sends word to Jesus asking him if He is really the One who comes – He certainly was not acting like the Christ [Messiah] that everyone expected. In reply Jesus used the image of Messiah expressed in Isaiah 61 to describe His ministry. Then Jesus paid John the highest compliment – he was in the order of the prophets. However, John’s ministry had come to an end and a new day was dawning, the Kingdom of heaven was coming into the world, and the very least in the heavenly kingdom on earth is greater than John! The law and the prophets looked to the future; Jesus has come, He is the Christ, a new day is dawning! It was a time of transition, the old giving way to the new, the former times passing on to these last days.
Matthew 19 continues the theme of a new age dawning – Jesus was flipping the world upside down, and the first will be last. This chapter develops around three questions: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? (19:3), What good deed must I do to have eternal life? (19:16), and Who then can be saved? (19:25). Jesus’ answers to these questions are for those who commit to being in God’s Kingdom, who enter marriage with healthy relationships, who have the humility of children, and who trust God instead of wealth. When Jesus spoke of the twelve apostles sitting on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, He obviously was not speaking literally – one disciple betrayed Him, leaving only eleven. And what does it say about their thrones when Jesus’ “throne of glory” was the cross?
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus declared that everyone will be judged by the way they treat the least of His “brethren” (in Matthew 12:50 He identified His brothers and sisters as “those who do the will of my father”). A cross forms where the vertical meets the horizontal, where the heavenly intersects the worldly. The Cross of Christ tends to divide people, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats at the end of the day. We may choose the world’s way or God’s way, the worldly kingdom or heavenly kingdom.
Matthew 24-25 has been presented and proclaimed as the End-of-Time events, but it has another dimension. In Mathew 24:1-2 Jesus predicted that the temple would be destroyed (the Romans demolished it in AD 70) bringing to an end the old age. In Matthew 24-25 Jesus warns about the chaos and turmoil that spreads as that day approaches. His advice was to not react to rumors and to be ready to flee. Jesus’ cross, his “crown of glory,” will separate the righteous from the rest of the herd.
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