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Date:         Tue, 29 Aug 1995 09:09:58 +0200
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel 
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel 
From: Teus Benschop 
Subject:      The Scriptures opened, 46
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP 

Contents
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1. Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - The Prophet
2. 2 Samuel 7           - The prophecy of Nathan, part 1


1.    Deuteronomy 18:15-19 - The Prophet
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading: Deut.16:18 - 21:9

15       The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
     from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;
     unto him ye shall hearken;
16   According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God
     in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
     Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God,
     neither let me see this great fire any more,
     that I die not.
17   And the LORD said unto me,
          They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken.
18        I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
          like unto thee,
          and will put my words in his mouth;
          and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19        And it shall come to pass,
          [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words
          which he shall speak in my name,
          I will require [it] of him.


What we have here is, in short, a prophecy of the Messiah, Who will be
a  Mediator between the people and God. He will speak God's Words, and
anyone who shall not hear to Him, will be punished.

These things will be explained more thorough.

         The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
     from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;
     unto him ye shall hearken;

Moses tells the people that there will be raised up from their midst a
great Prophet, like unto him. This prophet is the Messiah, and in  the
book  of  Acts, it is applied to Jesus Christ, the only true  Messiah.
"For  Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your
God  raise  up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him  shall  ye
hear  in  all  things whatsoever he shall say unto you."  (Acts  3:22)
According to Moses' words, the prophet must be like unto him. Now,  we
know  that in the entire Old Testament never any prophet is risen  up,
who  was  like unto Moses. Moses was the greatest prophet of  the  Old
Testament;  nobody surpassed him. But in the New Testament,  Jesus  is
set  before us. He is a very great Prophet, not only like unto  Moses,
but much greater. And God expressly requires of us, that we shall hear
Him:  "Unto Him ye shall hearken". So, reader, you know what God  asks
you to do. Hear unto Jesus, the greatest Prophet, taken from the midst
of the Jews, risen up by God.

It  is  said that the Prophet, namely Jesus Christ, will be like  unto
Moses. This appears from the following points.
1.   Moses was real human, from the seed of Abraham.
     Also Christ was a real man, from the seed of Abraham.
2.   Moses led the people out the slavery of Egypt.
     Also Jesus led His people out of the slavery of sin.
3.   Moses stood between the people and God in the covenant of the
     law.
          Also Jesus stood between the people and God, in the covenant
    of   grace.
4.       Moses was faithful in his entire office.
     Also Jesus Christ was faithful in all His works.
5.   Moses was a great prophet.
     Jesus was the greatest Prophet, yea, the Head of all prophets.
So,  we  see  that  it is said with enough ground, that  Jesus  was  a
Prophet, like unto Moses.

     According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God
     in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
     Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God,
     neither let me see this great fire any more,
     that I die not.

When the LORD God gave the Ten Commandments, He let that happening  be
accompanied  by  such  terrible  phenomena,  that  the  people  feared
exceedingly  much.  "And all the people saw the thunderings,  and  the
lightnings,  and  the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain  smoking:
and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off." (Exodus
20:18) All those things, the thunderings, the lightnings, the noise of
the  trumpet,  the smoking mountain, all these were too much  for  the
people.  They exceedingly feared. They no longer dared to  hear  God's
words  directly,  but they asked that Moses might  be  their  mediator
between  God  and  them.  God's majesty was too  high  for  them;  too
terrifying. They were not able to hear the words of God without  great
dread.  They  said to Moses: "Let me not hear again the voice  of  the
LORD  my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I  die
not."   This   is  God  without  Mediator:  Fire,  Lightning,   Dread,
Thundering,  Smoking,  Trumpet-noise;  in  short,  a  devouring  Fire.
"Moses", said the people, "please be our mediator between God and  us,
lest we die".

     And the LORD said unto me,
     They have well [spoken that] which they have spoken.

When the people asked Moses to be their mediator between God and them,
the  LORD  gave their desire: "They have well spoken that  which  they
have spoken", namely that they wished a mediator.

     I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
     like unto thee,
     and will put my words in his mouth;
     and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

Moses was their mediator during their time in the desert, but the LORD
promised another Mediator, namely the Messiah. "I will raise them up a
Prophet:",  namely  Jesus Christ, the LORD and  Messiah,  "from  among
their  brethren", like unto Moses. God would put His  words  into  His
mouth.  So,  that means that Jesus spoke God's words.  "And  He  shall
speak  unto  them all that I shall command Him". As we know,  the  New
Testament contains the words, which God put in the mouth of Jesus, the
promised Prophet. Listen then to Him, reader. Approaching God directly
has  never been possible without great terror. The people of  old  had
God's  prophets, speaking to them. But these prophets no longer  live.
Instead  of  them,  we  have Jesus, a Prophet given  by  God.  Do  not
imagine,  that  you  can  without Him, since, when  you  approach  God
without  Him,  you  will experience an unbearable  terror  and  dread,
according to Scripture. If you then think to pray to God without Jesus
as  a Mediator, and you experience no terror, it is sure that you pray
not  to  God,  but to nothing. Don't deceive yourself  by  praying  to
nothing.  Without  Mediator,  you will  experience  terror;  when  you
experience it not, you pray not.

     And it shall come to pass,
     [that] whosoever will not hearken unto my words
     which he shall speak in my name,
     I will require [it] of him.

Whosoever will not listen to God's words, which Jesus shall  speak  in
His Name, God will require it of him. So, all despisers of Jesus, they
have  to  expect  God's  punishments. He is the great  Prophet  given,
greater  then Moses, promised of old, taken out His brethren, speaking
God's Words, being a necessary Mediator between God and us, being  the
true  Messiah.  "Whosoever will not hearken unto My words",  says  the
LORD God, "which He shall speak in My Name, I will require it of him".

So,  what is there to do? If there is anybody, who cannot believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, let Him pray to God, if He will reveal the truth
unto  Him. Who prays in all sincerity, who expects his salvation  from
nobody  else  but God, who prays in true faith - it is sure  that  God
will reveal the truth concerning the Messiah to him.


2.    2 Samuel 7 - The prophecy of Nathan, part 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Outline of the chapter:
1-2  David  has  settled down, and wishes to build  a  house  for  the
     LORD.
3    The prophet Nathan praises this.
4-7  But God immediately forbids David's plans, through Nathan.
8-17 God repeats the great benefits which He has bestowed on David  in
     the  past, and gives a promise of a still greater future. His son
     Solomon  will build the house of the LORD, and the Messiah  would
     arise from his seed.
18-22David  is  very  surprised at this, he rejoiced  in  it,  and  he
     heartily thanks the Lord.


     1   And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and  the
     LORD  had  given  him rest round about from all  his  enemies;  2
     That  the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell  in
     an  house  of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
     3   And  Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that [is]  in  thine
     heart; for the LORD [is] with thee.

"And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had
given him rest round about from all his enemies". David was a king  of
wars,  but at the moment, the LORD had given him a while of  rest.  In
the  previous chapters, we read about wars. Also in the next chapters,
there  are wars enough. But for now, the Lord had given him  rest.  We
know,  that  all wars and all rest comes to us from the hand  of  God.
There  is nothing, but it is done by Him. When we read, that God  gave
him  rest  from "all his enemies", than we understand that there  were
many  enemies  round about him. Israel was surrounded by the  enemies.
The  heathen continually attacked the true people of God.  Until  this
day,  matters have not changed. Also now, all who wishes to serve God,
will find an abundance of enemies round about him. But, as in the time
of David the Lord gave rest, He also now is able to give us rest for a
while,  that we may rejoice in God, and have a short while  of  peace.
Often, the Sabbaths are for us days of rest, amidst of the struggle of
this life.
      And  it  came to pass, when the king sat in his house,  and  the
LORD  had given him rest, "that the king said unto Nathan the prophet,
See  now,  I  dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God  dwelleth
within  curtains." While David had some rest, and was at his ease,  he
sat  in  his  house.  He looked to his house, and  he  saw  the  great
difference  between his own luxurious house, and the humble  house  of
God. He dwelled in a house of cedar, wood of durable quality, wood  of
a  pretty brown colour, and giving a sweet smell of resin when  it  is
still  new.  David  saw his high state, and the  low  state  of  God's
dwelling-place, namely within the curtains. The ark of God stood still
in the tabernacle, a tent of curtains. David was now settled down, but
the  ark still showed the journey through the desert. David was but  a
human king, but he lived princely. God, the King of kings, dwelled  in
a  humble house of curtains. David saw this difference, and felt  that
this was not good. That was it, what he meant, when he said to Nathan,
the  prophet: "See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the  ark  of
God  dwells within curtains" He still had not said, that he  therefore
wished  to  build  a  temple, but Nathan immediately  understood  him.
Therefore  the prophet said: "Go, do all that is in thine  heart;  for
the  LORD  is with thee." Nathan also had seen the difference  between
the  royal  palace, and the low tabernacle of God. Therefore,  without
asking God's word, he approved of David's plans.

     4   And  it  came to pass that night, that the word of  the  LORD
     came unto Nathan, saying,

In  the  night, after Nathan had approved of David's plans to build  a
temple,  the  word of the LORD came unto Nathan. Nathan  had,  without
asking  God's  approval,  agreed with David in  the  building  of  the
temple, and he would have continued herein, when not the Lord had come
to him, saying that he was wrong. It was, of course, not wrong to wish
to  build  a  house for the LORD, but it was wrong to do that  without
asking God. David and Nathan wished to honour God by building a  house
for  Him, but they forgat that honouring God must happen according  to
His will, and not according to our considerations. But the word of the
LORD  came  to  Nathan,  to prevent him from doing  things  with  good
intention, but too rashly.

The word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
     5  Go  and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou
     build me an house for me to dwell in?
     6  Whereas I have not dwelt in [any] house since the time that  I
     brought  up  the children of Israel out of Egypt,  even  to  this
     day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

Thus  says the LORD, "Shall you build Me a house for Me to dwell  in?"
That  means, "You shall surely not build a house for Me." It is  said,
that  God  dwells in some house, when He exhibits Himself  there  more
then  anywhere else. When He dwells in a temple, His glory  is  there,
and  will  be  experienced. When He dwells in  a  church,  during  the
preaching of the Word of His grace, the hearers will experience it  in
themselves, that God dwells there, and that He gives the power to  the
Word.
      David, says God, you shall not build a house for Me. For, I have
never  dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up your  fathers
out  of  Egypt,  to this day. But I have walked in a tent,  not  dwelt
therein. I have walked in a tabernacle, and not dwelt at rest.

     7  In  all  [the  places]  wherein I have  walked  with  all  the
     children  of  Israel, spake I a word with any of  the  tribes  of
     Israel,  whom I commanded to feed my people Israel,  saying,  Why
     build ye not me an house of cedar?

The  sense  of this verse is, that God had never given any command  to
any,  to build Him a house. So, why should David now, without command,
build  one? Yes, God commanded the children of Israel to build  Him  a
house  of  curtains, but not one of cedar. David, you understand  now,
that  there is no reason for you, to build any house for Me. We  learn
from this, that nothing without any express command, is acceptable for
the  LORD. When we wish to serve the Lord, let we listen to His  will,
revealed  in Scripture, and obey Him according that rule.  Let  nobody
imagine  to serve God by any human-made rule. "In vain they do worship
me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9)

     8  Now  therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant  David,  Thus
     saith  the  LORD  of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote,  from
     following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:

In  this  verse, we see how David must learn to be nothing before  the
LORD.  Let  nobody  think  that  he is somewhat,  since  everybody  is
nothing. Not David will do something for God, but God has done all for
David.  God, the LORD of hosts, says: "I took you from the  sheepcote,
and  made  you  a  ruler over Israel". I took  you  out  of  a  humble
condition,  with the sheep, to set you in a honourable  place,  to  be
ruler  over Israel. "I took you from following the sheep, and set  you
one  going before all Israel" You were walking after the sheep, but  I
made you walking before the people. David, you must learn that you are
but  a man, and that God is God. It was but My favour, David, why  you
now sit in such a high place; you have nothing of yourself.
      Let  then  everybody  of us, who has reached  a  high  position,
ascribe  no  honour or power to himself, so as to ascribe  it  to  his
intelligence,  or  to  something else of  him.  Let  nobody  glory  in
himself,  but let we all glory in the LORD. "Thus saith the LORD,  Let
not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in  his  might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let  him
that  glorieth  glory in this, that he understandeth and  knoweth  me,
that  I  am  the  LORD which exercise lovingkindness,  judgement,  and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith  the
LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23,24)

     9  And  I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have  cut
     off  all  thine enemies out of thy sight, and have  made  thee  a
     great  name,  like unto the name of the great [men] that  are  in
     the earth.

Not  David was strong in the wars, but the LORD was mighty. Not  David
cut  off  all enemies, but the LORD fought for him. Not David, through
his  manifold victories, made himself a great name, but the LORD  gave
him  that  name. Why was David prosperous? Because the LORD  was  with
him,  whithersoever he went. And that is also the  thing,  whereof  we
have  need. When anyone decides to do something, let him or her  first
be  sure,  that it is the will of God. And secondly, let him  be  sure
that  the LORD is with him. For, when He is not with us, what will  we
do?  All  what we begin will fail. "Except the LORD build  the  house,
they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city,  the
watchman  waketh [but] in vain." (Psalms 127:1) But when God  is  with
one, he will prosper in all his doings. "Say ye to the righteous, that
it  shall  be  well with him: for they shall eat the  fruit  of  their
doings." (Isaiah 3:10)


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teus Benschop  --  t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
Listowner of chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web:  https://christian.net/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------




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