1 Chronicles 28:1–29:2, 2 Timothy 4:9–22, Psalm 90:1–17, Matthew
28:20
One of my OT professors was so focused on Christ that he
could see shadows of Him throughout the OT. Because of that class, I also make
far more connections from the OT to the NT and to the person and work of Jesus
Christ. For instance, in the passing of the kingdom from David to Solomon, I
see David as a shadow of Christ and Solomon as a shadow of the church, only
because of how the king instructed his son.
David said to Solomon when he was ready to depart this
earth, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not
be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord
God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all
the work for the service of the house of the Lord
is finished.” (1 Chronicles 28:20)
Jesus said to His disciples much the same thing just
before He left this earth. He gave the work of making disciples to His
followers then said, “And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Then David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and
inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but
for the Lord God. So I have
provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things
of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of
bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood,
besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored
stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.” (1 Chronicles 29:1–2)
In the NT, King Jesus tells His people to continue building
the new temple where He dwells now — in each person who believes in Him. To do
that, we are told that: “His divine power has
granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has
granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you
may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption
that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3–4)
Just as David supplied the materials for that first temple
that his son would build, Jesus Christ supplies all that is needed for His
children to be His temple!
Builders of His kingdom sounds like a glorious and
rewarding work, yet this can be difficult and lonely. Paul had amazing success,
yet at times he felt alone and abandoned . . .
“At my first defense no one
came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message
might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued
from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring
me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
(2 Timothy 4:16–18)
The work of being a Christian and taking part as
co-workers in building His kingdom is not easy. Like the psalmist, I’ve prayed
this way, “Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be
upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work
of our hands!” (Psalm 90:16–17)
No comments:
Post a Comment