Sunday, March 1, 2015

When One Rules Over People In Righteousness

2 Samuel 23:3-4 – The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’

1 Samuel 2:2 – “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Isaiah 11:2-4 – The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lordand he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

2 Samuel 22:2-3 – He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—from violent people you save me.

2 Samuel 7:14-16 – I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

Isaiah 9:7 – Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 – “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.

Zechariah 9:9 – Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Application:

  • ·         In brief and vivid strokes David portrays the ideal theocratic king—to be fully realized only in the rule of David’s greater son, Jesus Christ.
  • ·         Rock was a metaphor to depict the strength and stability of the God of Israel as the unfailing source of security for His people.
  • ·         The Spirit endowed the Messiah with the wisdom to undertake wise purposes and with the power to carry them out.
  • ·         Rock was a figure particularly appropriate to David’s experience. He had often taken refuge among the rocks of the desert, but he realized that true security was found only in the Lord.
  • ·         There was a special relationship God promised to maintain with the descendant of David whom He will establish on David’s throne.
  • ·         “My love” is God’s special and unfailing favor.
  • ·         The promise of an everlasting kingdom for the house of David became the focal point for many later prophecies and powerfully influenced the development of the Messianic hope in Israel.
  • ·         In spite of the sins of kings like Ahaz, Christ was a descendant of David who will rule in righteousness forever.
  • ·         The Messiah, unlike any previous descendant of David, is the ideal King. He sums up in Himself all the finest qualities of the best rulers, and infinitely more.
  • ·         Although Zedekiah did not live up to the meaning of his name, “The Lord is my righteousness”, the Messiah will bestow on His people the abundant blessings that come from the hands of a King who does “what is just and right”.
  • ·         Righteous means conforming to the divine standard of morality and ethics, particularly as revealed in the Mosaic legislation; a characteristic of the ideal king.



All Scripture verses taken from NIV

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