Alas! The LORD is gracious and merciful! He plans council to save the afflicted and needy. He shows forth His providence and strength. His saving arm redeems those who call upon Him! For the plan of God’s salvation was foretold in the Scriptures, that the man of God may know through faith the lovingkindness of the LORD. For in one place it says, “The righteous is delivered from trouble, But the wicked takes his place.” (Pro 11:8) For the LORD God redeems the righteous, but the wicked are taken instead. As Jesus Christ speaks about the end of time: "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.” (Mat 24:40-41) As the LORD speaks through the prophet Isaiah writes about this, "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.” (Isa 43:3-4) For we see in the law that the LORD preserved the people of Israel, but Egypt was taken instead; the firstborn of Israel were saved, but the firstborn of Egypt was taken. As it written in the Psalms about this: “You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked.” (Psa 91:8)
In the days of David, a plague broke out in the land of Israel because of Saul’s sin — for Saul executed wrath against the Gibeonites, whom the children of Israel made an oath in the days of Joshua to preserve them alive. David, wishing to appease God’s wrath, asked the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" (2 Samuel 21:3) And they asked for seven of Saul’s sons to be hanged on a stake. But Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, was spared, but another “Mephibosheth” (2 Samuel 21:8), the son of Saul, was handed over instead (as a type). And all this was granted to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, for the sake of his father; before he did anything good or bad, he was ordained for such kindness, for the sake of his father Jonathan who made a covenant with David. So Mephibosheth was taken, but the other left.
In the law of Moses, it is written for the cleansing of a leper that two clean birds, identical in nature, were to be brought to the priests. And, as it is written: "The priest shall also give orders to slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water. As for the live bird, he shall take it together with the cedar wood and the scarlet string and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slain over the running water. He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field.” (Lev 14:5-7) Is it concerning birds the LORD speaks about? Is it not about the leper who is being cleansed? For he lived outside the camp of Israel, desolate. One bird was taken and killed and the other left. The leper found an atoning sacrifice which cleansed him: the sacrifice was taken and he himself was set free: his sins were forgiven.
Also in the law of Moses, on the day of atonement, Moses writes: "Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.” (Lev 16:8-10) Is the LORD speaking about goats? Is it not for the people? For on this day, atonement was made by the high priest for the people; as it says, "Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year." (Lev 16:34) For the high priest went into the Most Holy Place to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation. And pertaining to the scapegoat, it says, "Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.” (Lev 16:21-22) So it is: one goat was for a sin offering and the other, for the scapegoat.
And in the days of Saul, the son of Kish, Saul waged war against the Philistines, the enemies of the LORD. And while they were waging war, Saul charged the people with an oath, "Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” (1Sa 14:24) So the people were hungry and fatigued from battle. And when the day was spent, the people ate meat with the blood, which is contrary to the law of Moses (Leviticus 17:12-14), but were not cut off (1 Samuel 14:32-34). But Jonathan, Saul’s son, ate a little bit of honey on the edge of his staff while the oath was still in effect. And when Saul inquired of the LORD in an unrelated matter, the LORD did not hear him. So when Saul investigated the matter, to see who sinned, he cast lots which are determined by God. And when the lot was cast, “Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.” (1Sa 14:41) Then when the lot was cast between him and Jonathan, "Jonathan was taken.” (1Sa 14:42) Even though Saul sinned by making foolish oaths and the people sinned by eating with the blood, it was Jonathan who was determined by lot, which is determined by God, to have sinned — and the rest were freed. Jonathan did no wrong, only he ate a little bit of honey; despite these things, and despite the fact that Jonathan worked with God to bring about a great deliverance for Israel that day, he was still chosen by lot to die.
And in the days of Jesus, who is the Christ, He was delivered up to Pilate by the rulers and chief priests. And there was a man who was in prison at the time, Barabbas; he was being held for insurrection and murder. And Pilate had a custom that he would release one from prison during that time. And the crowd, being stirred up by the chief priests, cried out for Barabbas to be released to them. And “Wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them, and after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.” (Mrk 15:15) Now Jesus did no wrong and He received testimony by many because of His innocence. Pilate’s wife said, "Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him." (Mat 27:19) And Pilate himself said, "What evil has He done?" (Mat 27:23) And even the one who betrayed Him to the chief priests said, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." (Mat 27:4) But yet He was determined, not by the will of man, but by the will of God to die for the sins of the people as it is seen through the types and shadows found in the law.
Out of all men who can we say resembles Christ the most? Of all the types and shadows of the Scriptures which God has set before our eyes, which of these closely resemble Christ Jesus? Is it Abraham? What about Isaac? Samson? Any of the judges? What about the kings of Israel? Certainly these men offer as types to Christ in the scriptures, but which one more so? Where can we see the Christ the clearest? We have the form of Him now, but we see Him as through a mirror dimly. Is it not David, the king of Israel, the man after God’s own heart? Doesn’t He resemble the Christ the most? Are not many prophesies of Christ contained in the Psalms? And did not David write them? So David is the clearest picture of the Christ we have in the Scriptures; for he was a man after God’s own heart.
David spent the early years of his life as the shepherd of his father’s flock. While he was shepherding, he was being trained by God, even more so than his brethren who were enlisted in Saul’s army — for which of David’s brethren stepped up to fight Goliath? For they heard the Philistine reproach the heavenly hosts more than David did — for it was Goliath’s custom to come out to defy Israel. And David heard it and he went out to battle against him. And without question, when men are enlisted into an army, they go through special training; but David received none. However, he was trained by God for war while shepherding his father’s flock in the wilderness, for he fought lions and bears. As he says about this: “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” (Psalms 18:34) Furthermore, He was trained to shepherd the flock of Israel as well — for God anointed him to be king as a shepherd boy. And after the battle of the Philistine, Saul wondered at him saying, “Whose son are you, young man?” (1 Samuel 17:58)
And likewise, it is said of Jesus, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" (Matthew 13:55,56) For He did not go to school, nor was He brought up as a Pharisee in the strictest sect; but He was personally trained by God. And He was more wise and more authoritative and more powerful than all the scribes and Pharisees who were brought up in training; as it says, “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.” (Matthew 7:28-29) And He was thus even from His youth, for He came into this world as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Word made flesh. He was found in the temple as a youth; “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:47)
For Christ is the Shepherd of the flock, the flock of Jews and Gentiles, for in Him they are one. As the prophet Ezekiel testifies, saying, "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. (…) David My servant will be their prince forever.” (Ezk 37:24-25) And the LORD God also says through the prophet Ezekiel, "I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.” (Ezk 34:23-24)
Again, concerning David, God prophesied about him beforehand, saying, “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.” (1 Samuel 2:35) For David was not only king, but priest; and he was anointed by God for this service with holy anointing oil. In former days, only the descendants of Aaron, the holy priesthood, were consecrated with the anointing oil; but here, in a similar way, David was consecrated by the prophet Samuel to be king over Israel. And David did according to what’s in God’s heart because he is a man after God’s heart; as the prophet also says, “The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people.” (1 Samuel 13:14)
And when David brought up the ark of the LORD, he danced before the Lord with a linen ephod, which only the priesthood wore; so David, foreshadowing the priestly king to come, wore an ephod before the LORD. And He also blessed in the name of the Lord God of Israel, which was solely a priestly duty; as it says in the law, “At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day.” (Deuteronomy 10:8) David also took it upon himself to carry the ark of the covenant, which was dedicated for the Levites only; but God stretched out His hand against Uzzah, for he stretched forth his hand to steady the ark; so David became afraid of God that day. This signifies that although the former priesthood is brought to an end, it does not abolish the fear due to His name. For God is proven holy by all those who draw near.
Furthermore, David was chosen by God on the account of his heart; this is contrary to the Levitical priesthood since they were chosen according to the flesh, that is, by the genealogy of Aaron; and it was according to the flesh even to the extent that those with anything crushed, broken, blemished or deformed were prohibited from serving in office. But the latter priesthood was according to the heart, the inward man. “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) For in the heart is where faith dwells; and to have a good heart before God is considered faithfulness, for believers know that God sees the inmost thoughts and desires of the heart; as David says in the Psalms, “You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” (Psalms 51:6) Since faith is according to the heart, not the flesh, under David, those who were in distress, in debt, and who were embittered gathered to him (1 Samuel 22:2). And also Mephibosheth, who was lame from his youth, ate at the king’s table. So fleshly ailments did not prohibit them from coming to him.
The Old Covenant had a tabernacle with its furnishings according to the pattern given to Moses on the mount; so the tent of the LORD was a temporary dwelling — for without question a tent is pitched only for a short while; for that is what a tabernacle is: a tent. This signifies that the Old Covenant was given for a set time and was not meant to be forever. Yet David’s house was “established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16), and the dwelling place for God that he built was no tabernacle, but a temple with foundations and roots established on Zion, the rock of a mountain. So with a new temple came a new order for worship; for David inaugurated men to sing before the LORD and give thanks with instruments and song. And by what law did David seek to build a house for the LORD? Or what command did he appoint singers? It was all according to what was in his heart, for in his freewill he sought a dwelling place for God.
And since there was a change of worship and a change of temple, David also taught another law, which wasn’t against the law of God, but accomplished it. He taught his son Solomon wisdom, understanding and the fear of the LORD; as Solomon, the son of David, writes:
“When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother, Then he taught me and said to me, ‘Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding.’” (Proverbs 4:3-7)
So David taught his son wisdom; and when Solomon reigned as king in place of his father, he was granted whatever he asked for; and he asked for an understanding heart and discernment between good and evil (1 Kings 3:9). And it was given to him by the grace of God.
Now pertaining to these things: Jesus, called the Christ, is the Anointed One, for that is what Christ means: Anointed. He was not anointed by God sometime in His life, as it was with David, but before the foundation of the world. And His priesthood endures forever; as it is written, "I will raise up your (David) Descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-14) This is the same one who it is written, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) And He is the prophet and priestly king, as David was, but Christ Jesus is after the order of Melchizedek which endures forever, for He lives forever. And since His life is eternal, so is His priesthood, His kingdom — as it is written, “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."” (Psalms 110:4) And the high priest brings forth offerings on behalf of the people; so likewise, Jesus brought forth an offering, for every priest offers gifts and sacrifices, so likewise, He offered a sacrifice — the sacrifice of Himself — for the sins of the people; as it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)
So if David was a man after God’s own heart, how would you regard the Christ? As it is written about Him, "Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.” (Exodus 23:21) For Christ did not only bless in the name of the Father, as priests do, but everything He did and said was from God — as the Father dwelt among us in Him! As it is written: “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) And again, it is written concerning Him, from you Bethlehem Ephrathah “One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2) For Jesus was not only the Fruit of David, but also the Root; He came from the city of David, yet came to build the enduring house of David. He was not only the Son of Man, but the Son of God.
And Christ came to build an eternal priesthood and an eternal kingdom, “For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever.” (Daniel 6:26) The Old Covenant made fearful slaves, but the New Covenant, a royal priesthood, sons of God. The Old Covenant is after the flesh with physical requirements according to law and obligation; whereas the New Covenant is build on the foundation of free will, after the heart, the new man, and the Spirit. Those who were deformed could not draw near to the priest in the former covenant; but when the Christ came, they drew near to Him and were made whole from their infirmities. So the priesthood Christ inaugurated was according to truth in the heart, not blemish in the flesh. And if it is by faith, then it is no longer law; and if it is no longer law, then the old sacrificial system is being put away and a new one set up — the law of Christ, a law of faith, which is inaugurated by Him and stands forever. For just as David planned for a lasting temple, Jesus Christ came and established a new temple and a new mode of worship.
For David was a refuge in the wilderness to those “in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented” (1 Samuel 22:2). In those days, when he was fleeing from Saul, David made his home in the rocks, caves, strongholds, and in the mountains. These were his refuge in time of trouble and his source of inspiration when he wrote in the Psalms: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalms 18:2) And speaking further about this, Christ Jesus Himself is the new Temple and in Him is the new mode of worship; for “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) For He is our Refuge, our Rock; we who flee to Him take refuge in Him to worship God in the Holy Spirit and truth (1 Corinthians 6:19); as it says about Him, ”He shall become a sanctuary.” (Isaiah 8:14) As Jesus Christ calls out, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) As David likewise called out: "Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me." (1 Samuel 22:23) So men found refuge in David, as he found refuge in God; as Christ says, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10) As Jesus prayed, “You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us. (…)” (Jhn 17:21)
And those who loved David, like Jonathan, the son of Saul, made a covenant with him and entered league with him; and his name was preserved when Saul’s house was wiped out, because he sought David’s favor, knowing that the kingdom would be handed over to him. So when David’s kingdom was established, he sought to show "the kindness of God" (2 Samuel 9:3) to Jonathan; and he found Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, a man crippled in both feet. And he made him to eat at his own table regularly, and all what was to belong to Saul’s house was given to him. Then when a plague broke out in the land because of Saul’s sin — for Saul executed wrath against the Gibeonites, whom the children of Israel made an oath in the days of Joshua to preserve them alive — David, wishing to appease God’s wrath, asked the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?" (2 Samuel 21:3) And they asked for seven of Saul’s sons to be hanged on a stake. But Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, was spared, but another “Mephibosheth” (2 Samuel 21:8), the son of Saul, was handed over instead (as a type). And all this was granted to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, for the sake of his father; before he did anything good or bad, he was ordained for such kindness.
And so it is with us, who enter league with God through Jesus Christ our Savior; He spares us from the wrath which is to come by Him who was hanged on a cross for us. For we were deserving wrath for our impiety, but God chose us for kindness before the foundation of the world. And this, by the grace of God, without any works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us “by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7) For God elected us in Christ Jesus for grace that we may be His treasured possession among the world, from which we shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Furthermore, before David was king of Israel, he was Saul’s armor bearer. And David played the harp before Saul when an evil spirit from the LORD came upon him. “So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” (1 Samuel 16:23) Nevertheless, Saul sought David’s life because of jealousy, for the women of Israel sang, “Saul has slain thousands, And David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7) And “When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he was afraid of him.” (1 Samuel 18:15) Yet all Israel loved David (1 Samuel 18:16), even Saul’s household loved him. So from that day onward, Saul sought to kill David, although he did no wrong; as David received the testimonies concerning his righteousness: “he has not sinned against you,” (1 Samuel 19:4) and, "why should he be put to death? What has he done?" (1 Samuel 20:32) And, “I have found no fault in him,” (1 Samuel 29:3) and, “you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God.” (1 Samuel 29:9) As he says about himself, “What have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?” (1 Samuel 26:18) For even though Saul was delivered into his hands two times, David did not strike him nor kill him, although it was in his power to do so (1 Samuel 24 and 1 Samuel 26).
Nevertheless, Saul persecuted David and sought to kill him. When he sent David out to fight against the Philistines, he thought to himself, "My hand shall not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him." (1 Samuel 18:17) And when he gave his daughter to David in marriage, he thought to himself, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” (1 Samuel 18:21) As David writes in the Psalms, “Without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.” (Psalms 35:7) And, “Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head.” (Psalms 69:4) For Saul plotted secretly against David to kill him without reason, until he persecuted David in the wilderness. Yet while Saul sought David’s destruction, David sought for his salvation, for he spared him on two separate occasions. For David trusted in the LORD to avenge him, he kept trusting in God in the wilderness; as he says, "May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Samuel 24:12)
Both Saul and David were the LORD’s anointed, but Saul was later rejected by God. And because of this, he persecuted David because he knew the kingdom would be establish to him (1 Samuel 24:20). And in the same way, the teachers of the law were questioning Jesus and “testing Him” (Matthew 22:35). They were “seated in the chair of Moses,” (Matthew 23:2-3) who was sent by God. And they persecuted Jesus because they wanted to retain their power; as it says, "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." (John 11:48) As a result, the Pharisees “were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him.” (Mark 14:1) At one time, they sent Herod’s men with the Pharisees “in order to trap Him in a statement.” (Mark 12:13-15) Although Jesus did no wrong, as He received testimonies from others: "Why, what evil has He done?” (Mark 15:14) And, ”He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." (Mark 7:37) And as He says of Himself, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" (John 10:32)
For instead of seeking Christ for His favor, as many followed Him and sought Him, the Pharisees and Sadducees sought after Him for persecution, even stirring up others to contradict. Yet Jesus was constantly putting up with them and reasoning with them to bring them to repentance. And the word which David wrote in the Psalms was fulfilled in Him: as it says, “They have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, 'THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.'” (John 15:25) For Christ was blameless and sinless; He is the Angel of the LORD in all His perfection. Albeit however, like the Saul who was stirred up against David because of jealousy, “The chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.” (Mark 15:10) And although Christ had the power to avenge Himself, as He says, "Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) He did not avenge Himself, for the sake of fulfilling the Scriptures (Matthew 26:54), of which we are writing. “And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23) For just as David went through persecution before being crowned with glory, even though he was foreordained by God, it was also purposeful for Christ to go through suffering before His exaltation.
For David was rejected as king over Israel, but the house of Judah anointed him king over them. So David reigned as king in Hebron “seven years and six months” (2 Samuel 2:11). But the house of Israel had Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, reigning over them. And there was a long war between the two houses. So even Christ was rejected by His own countrymen; as they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" And the Jews said, ”We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15) So just as it was foretold (1 Samuel 8:7), so it happened. As David wrote in the Psalms, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” (Psa 41:9) And, “It is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.” (Psa 55:12-14) For the Christ was betrayed by His beloved companion, who was like a son to Him. It was foretold in the Psalms, and fulfilled when Judas Iscariot betrayed Him to the chief priests and rulers. And, as a type, in David’s days, his own son Absalom, exalted himself as king over Israel and drove David far from his homeland. In the end, Judas died by hanging himself, and Absalom, the son of David, likewise, he “was left hanging between heaven and earth.” (2Sa 18:9)
Nevertheless, David fled out of Israel when his son betrayed him; and “All the country wept with a loud voice” (2 Samuel 15:23) when he fled. And following Jesus as He bore His cross were “women who were mourning and lamenting Him.” (Luke 23:27) Yet the Spirit of Christ reigns in David’s voice which says: “If I find favor in the sight of the LORD, then He will bring me back again.” (2 Samuel 15:25) For Christ was brought back again, even from the dead: as it says, “If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10) For God made Him to stand up again.
David was met with cursing and hurling of stones by the Benjamite, Shimei. He railed on David saying, “You bloodthirsty man, You rogue!” (2 Samuel 16:7) And yet David bore the cursing and did not open his mouth, but said, "Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day." (2 Samuel 16:12) And as it says in the prophecy of Isaiah about the Christ: “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see and be satisfied;” (Isaiah 53:11) He did not return railing for railing, nor insult for insult; for the Pharisees mocked Him, saying, "HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM;” (Matthew 27:43) And, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!" (Luke 23:37) And many other things they said, blaspheming. Yet He remained silent; “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isa 53:7) David went through this trouble because of his own iniquities, yet Christ Jesus was crucified — not for any fault of His own — but for the faults of the world.
David found forgiveness from God for his sin when he sinned with Bathsheba and killed Uriah. For the law of God requires blood for blood, but a Substitute was found for David. As a type and foreshadow of Christ’s sacrifice, the LORD took David’s son who was to be born to Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:14). So an innocent child died in place of David. And the Word was given to him: "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” (2Sa 12:13) As the Spirit of Christ calls out from David, "Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2Sa 18:33) For if David said this concerning Absalom, his own son, who rose up to seek his own life, how much more for this innocent child?
And when David sinned again by numbering the people of Israel, a plague arose in the land of Israel because of his sin. And he pleaded with the LORD God that His hand would not be against the people, saying, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father's house.” (2Sa 24:17) David said this when he was at fault; but yet greater is He, the Christ, who spoke this way when He had no fault: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luk 23:34) It is one thing to ask for the punishment of others to fall upon us when we have done wrong; but Jesus, asked for forgiveness for those, worthy of punishment, by taking the punishment due upon Himself although He had done no wrong, whose blood still now “speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:24) As David poured out the water, figuratively, turned blood, of the men who jeopardized their lives to get it (2 Samuel 23:17); so the lifeblood of Jesus, how much more precious, was not poured out in vain, but given to the nations to drink for eternal life to everyone who believes (John 6:24). Anyone who drinks blood under the Law of Moses perished, but Christ says, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.” (Jhn 6:54)
David, although king of Israel, strong and mighty, he was on record saying, "I am soft today, though anointed king.” (2Sa 3:39) And he said, "I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes. (…)” (2Sa 6:22) For although there is no one greater than the king, he made himself low and humble. So likewise, who is greater than the Lord whom God exalted, who is the Lord of lords and the King of kings? Yet Christ says, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Mat 11:29-30)
For although David was the king of Israel, he was humble; his humility and kindness was seen in what he did — he was constantly fighting against the harshness of his companions. As Abishai, a commander of the army of Israel, spoke, “Let me strike him (Saul) with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time." (1Sa 26:8) But David refused. And another time, “Let me go over now and cut off his head." (2Sa 16:9) And David remained far from their counsel; he said, "What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be an adversary to me?” (2Sa 19:22) For although David was a man of war, he fought a righteous warfare and did not delight in warfare and killing. As Christ Jesus was constantly reprimanding His close disciples saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!” (Mat 16:23) And when James and John said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54) He rebuked them, saying, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:55-56) And concerning warfare, Jesus said, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” (Mat 26:52) For He fought the righteous warfare: for the Truth.
For to those who were near David, his actions were as though he hated them. For when Michal, David’s wife, spoke foolishly to David (2 Samuel 6:20-21), he responded faithfully to the LORD (and she was judged by God for speaking foolishly). And also, David was constantly reproving the commanders of his army, the sons of Zeruiah, although they were near to him. But to those who were far away from David, his actions were with love. For he treated with kindness Saul, son of Kish, although he persecuted him in the wilderness, trying to kill him. And after the victory over Absalom, David lamented loudly for his son Absalom when he died in battle, although Absalom was an enemy to him, rising up against him and betraying him. Just as Joab, the commander of his army, came to him and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.” (2Sa 19:5-6) For, David wept loudly for his son Absalom when he was killed. Furthermore, David writes in the Psalms concerning his actions towards his enemies:
“As for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother. But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together; The smiters whom I did not know gathered together against me, They slandered me without ceasing. Like godless jesters at a feast, They gnashed at me with their teeth.” (Psa 35:13-16)
For David resembled Christ in this way: he reproved those who were near him and loved those who were far away from him.
As Jesus said on the cross to those crucifying Him, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luk 23:34) As Jesus taught the multitudes, “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Mat 5:44-46) But when His mother and His brothers searched for Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Mat 12:49-50) For He loved those who were estranged from them; and, as it seemed, He hated those who were near to Him. As He says, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luk 19:10) And He says, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mrk 2:17) And as He taught, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luk 14:26) So Christ shows forth the Way perfectly.
David looked for a dwelling place for his family while running from Saul; in Moab he asked the king, "Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me." (1Sa 22:3) So David, in his distress, even sought for his family, honoring his father and his mother. And Christ in His distress on the cross provided for His own mother. As it is written by the apostle John in his gospel, “When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” (Jhn 19:26-27)
And because of David’s righteousness, he was a light to Israel, highly esteemed among his companions, among all of Israel. As David’s army said, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel." (2Sa 21:17) And, "You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us." (2Sa 18:3) So how much more Christ, who came proclaiming, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12) For He was reckoned, not as one thousand men, but all men, living and dead, for He, being one, died for all. And through His death, He works victory to all, to everyone who believes.
For David was a mighty man of valor, and he escaped death many times by the saving hand of God. He escaped from Saul when he was within arms reach; for Saul threw a spear at him while he was playing on the harp. And when he sought to kill him at the house of Michal, he was led down out of the window, and “Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with clothes.” (1Sa 19:13) So David escaped. He escaped the hands of the Philistines many times, and from his own people who went to foreign towns to seek for his life. God preserved him. God preserved him from the giant who sought to kill him (2 Samuel 21:16), not to mention Goliath whom he slew. And so likewise, Jesus was spared until the time of His departure, until the appointed time set by the Father, the time for which He came into the world. “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.” (Jhn 10:31) And another time, “They got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.” (Luk 4:29) And again, they tried to entrap Him by His words to hand Him over to the Herodians (Matthew 22:16). Yet God preserved His life until the appointed time.
And David after he plundered those who plundered him, (I am speaking of the Amalekites) he returned to the men who kept the supplies with the spoil they recovered. For there were certain men, two hundred, who were weary and stayed behind with the supplies. When David returned to them with the plunder, certain men said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart." (1Sa 30:22) But David, being a man after God’s own heart, said, “Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” (1Sa 30:24) So that day David treated the one who did not go to war as the one who went to war. For the men gained victory by the hand of the LORD, and “if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1Co 12:26) So they all shared in the victory of the LORD equally, for they are one body. And the last was made first and the first, last — so there would be equality.
And likewise, Jesus Christ taught frequently, “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;” (Mat 20:26-27) And through a parable, He taught that one who labors at the last hour of the day is treated equally with the one who worked in the scorching heat of the day (Matthew 20:12-13). As He speaks in the parable: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?” (Mat 20:15) So Christ, being generous, will recompense equally those who serve in His kingdom, whether small or great, whether last or first; the small will be treated as great and the great as small. The smallest member will receive greater honor and the largest member will be treated will lesser honor — so that there may be equality.
And concerning David’s kingdom, men whom he did not know came to serve him. They came to him bearing gifts, seeking his favor. As it is written, “Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and they built a house for David.” (2Sa 5:11) As it also says concerning this: “Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.” (2Sa 8:10) And as David writes in the Psalms, saying, “You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me.” (2Sa 22:44) For it is fitting for men to bring gifts to those who are held in honor. How much more Jesus Christ, who was born into the world and as an newborn received gifts from men? And at the coming of His Kingdom and rule, all the nations will come bearing gifts to the Holy Mountain. As it is written, "Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. (…) The abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD.” (Isa 60:3-6) And as it also says in the Psalms, “The kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. Yea, all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.” (Psa 72:10-11) As the LORD God says, “I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory.” (Hag 2:7)
The promise which was given to David spoke this way: saying,
The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever. (2Sa 7:11-16)
When the LORD says, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” It is evident that this does not apply to David’s kingdom since His kingdom did not remain forever. As it is written in the Psalm of Ethan the Ezraite:
“Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful. Selah. But You have cast off and rejected, You have been full of wrath against Your anointed. You have spurned the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown in the dust.” (Psa 89:35-39)
When He says, “You have spurned the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown in the dust,” it refers to when Judah was taken into exile to Babylonia and the kingdom of David came to an end.
So it is evident, when the LORD promised, “I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.” (2 Samuel 7:11) And, “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.” (Psalm 89: 35) The promises did not pertain to Solomon, a descendant of David, but a future offspring to come. So David, seeing the corruptible cannot inherit the incorruptible, prophesied by the Holy Spirit saying, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” (Psa 16:10) And, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." (Psa 110:4) So it is evident, there is one to come from David who is also greater than David, for David calls Him, “Lord”; and He is to remain and rule forever, bringing up the ash heap of the kingdom of David to eternal glory; as the LORD GOD says, "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old;” (Amo 9:11) And, “As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come—Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” (Mic 4:8)
And in the days of Jeremiah, the prophet of the LORD, in his days, the kingdom of David and the southern kingdom of Judah went into captivity to Babylon. And Jeremiah spoke to the children of Judah faithfully during the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; he spoke this way to Zedekiah, son of David, saying, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion." (Jer 21:7) And He spoke in this way concerning the previous kings, who went out into exile to Babylon: concerning Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum, the LORD says, "He will never return there; but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again.” (Jer 22:11-13) And concerning Jehoiakim, He says, "He will be buried with a donkey's burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” (Jer 22:19) And concerning Jehoiachin, also known as Coniah, He says, "As I live," declares the LORD, "even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off.” (Jer 22:24)
So it is evident, since Zedekiah was the last descendent to rule as king of the house of David, and the LORD rejected him, and all the kings that went into exile before him were also rejected, that there remained still yet another to come. For if any one of the previous descendants of David were the Seed prophesied about, there would be no need to seek another. After Zedekiah, the temple in Jerusalem was burned with fire and Judah was taken into captivity. So there remained no-one after him to reign on David’s throne. Yet God promised an offspring of David to rule on David’s throne forever. This is why, in those days, the LORD God declared through the prophet Jeremiah: "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.” (Jer 23:5-6) And now we see Jesus Christ, from the house of David, the Righteous Branch, who came and accomplished great feats with mighty working strength; and at the appointed time, died for our sins according to the foreknowledge and predetermined plan of God; God, having also exalted Him from the dead, raising Him from the grave, seated Him at the right hand of power on high, making angels and authorities and powers subjected to Him (1Pe 3:22), “waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.” (Heb 10:13) As it is told in the Psalms, “The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." (Psa 110:1)
For our hope is in heaven, from which we await our blessed Savior and the power of His coming, when He comes “With the clouds of heaven” (Dan 7:13), with the mighty hosts of heaven, bringing salvation to those who eagerly await Him and love the appearing of His coming. He will recompense the ungodly according to their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, punishing those who “do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2Th 1:8) “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.” (2Th 1:9-10) For just as David was raised up to save the people Israel, as the LORD says, "By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.” (2Sa 3:18) So Jesus came to save the people from their sins and bring in eternal salvation to everyone who believes. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;” (Luk 1:68-71)
For some of the Jews, during the days of Christ, seen that Jesus was the Prophet that Moses wrote about; and others who received healing in their bodies seen that He was the Son of David promised to come: as the two blind men followed Him and cried out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Mat 9:27) And as a Canaanite woman cried out, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." (Mat 15:22) And two other blind men cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" (Mat 20:30) And when they were told to be quiet, they shouted all the louder, for they were convinced Jesus was the One from David to come. And when Jesus entered Jerusalem, His disciples cried out, "Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!" (Mat 21:9) For these all believed Jesus was the Son of David who was promised to come into the world at the appointed time — He who is called Christ and Messiah. He is King and Priest of the Most High God. He will come again to establish His kingdom which will have no end: ”In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD before them.” (Zec 12:8) And for this reason it says: “The sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hos 3:5)
God is Spirit; all spiritual things are not seen, so God is not seen. How can we know what we do not see? How then may we know God? If a man were before us, we may know what he is like; but how do we know what God is like. He is not before us — He is in heaven and we, on earth. Yea, we have His Word, and His Word declares; but not everyone has His Word. For Enoch, a man of God, walked with God and knew the LORD before any of the writings; how then did he know him? How did he understand the Way of the Most High without His Word?
Is it not through His works? Do we not live in His creation? And do not they testify? As it is written: “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.” (Psa 97:6) And again, “Ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you.” (Job 12:7-8) For although these have no utterance, they speak of God’s handiwork; although they have no mouth, they testify of greater things than the mouth can speak. For they tell of such wonderful things “which a man is not permitted to speak.” (2Co 12:4)
Trees are known by what they produce; as it says, “The tree is known by its fruit.” (Mat 12:33) A good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. So we can likewise know a person by what they produce. For we know the weather by observing the sky: a dark sky forecasts a coming storm. So we can know God by His works; we can know Him by what He does; we know Him by His ways and His judgements; as it is written: “Let me know Your ways that I may know You…” (Exo 33:13) And, “The LORD is known by the judgments He executes.” (NKJV, Psa 9:16) And as God says by the prophet Micah, "My people, remember now (…) So that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD." (Mic 6:5) He works wonders and judgements and miracles in the land so that “you might know that I am the LORD your God.” (Exodus 7:17, 10:2, 14:4, 14:18, 16:12, 29:46; Deuteronomy 29:6; 1 Kings 20:13, 20:28; Isaiah 49:23) So His creation surely testifies, and His judgements and His ways speak of His goodness; and He who created the mouth to speak, He Himself also gives a sure Word.
As His creation speaks, “Men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” (Luk 6:44) And corresponding to this, as it is revealed in His Word, it says, “It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself…” (Pro 20:11) And as creation speaks, “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs?” (Jas 3:11-12) And corresponding to this, as it is revealed in the Word, it says, the “mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” (Luk 6:45) And, “As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.” (Pro 27:19) So God’s Word reveals mysteries contained in the things He created from the foundation of the world; He reveals them so that we may know Him who created all things. For His handiworks testify of Him. And just as God’s creation teaches us about Him, we may also know man by His works. So if we can know a man by what He does, how much more God?
God’s works are good and steadfast. He established the earth and it is not moved. He marked out a boundary for the sea and it does not transgress; He commanded it, “Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop” (Job 38:11) He ordered the world and filled it with life. He gives fowl their food in due season; they are not in want. He made man rule over the work of His hands; He established him as ruler of the earth. His breath is given to all mankind, “He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;” (Act 17:25) So His works are righteous, just as He is righteous. For from the good comes righteousness, but from the evil, badness. As it is written of the wicked: man “conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.” (Psa 7:14) And “When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin.” (Jas 1:15)The wicked raise up evil offspring, but the righteous, offspring after their kind. So we also can see the likeness of God through His Offspring. As it is contained in the writings: “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.” (1Jn 2:29) And, “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (…) for God is love.” (1Jn 4:7-8)
And concerning God’s Offspring, God’s Son, it is written, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (Jhn 1:18) And the Son of God is Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who God foreordained and sent into the world to reveal the Father unto us. As the apostles seen and testified, saying, “God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2Co 4:6) For we have the light of the knowledge of God in the face of His Son; for "He is the visible image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15)
Jesus Himself testified saying, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (Jhn 14:9) And concerning the Works of the Father, He says, “I showed you many good works from the Father.” (Jhn 10:32) And, "I speak the things which I have seen with My Father.” (Jhn 8:38) So He preformed the works of the Father plainly to them, not in riddles nor mysteries, so that boldly He says, "Now they have no excuse for their sin.” (Jhn 15:22) Because He has a greater testimony than all the prophets, Solomon (Matthew 12:42), Jonah (Matthew 12:41), and all of creation, for He is the One who created it all and filled it all. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16-18) And, “By whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (1Co 8:6)
And He is greater, just as He who comes before is greater than He who comes after. For we highly esteem our elders who came before us, and because they came before us, they are older than us; to such men we bow our heads in honor. And so Christ was before creation, the Ancient one, the Head of Days; it is evident, He who created must first exist before His creation. And as another sure testimony, the holy writings from the holy apostles speak about Him, saying:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (Jhn 1:1-5)
And again, Wisdom speaks of Him, saying:
"The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth; While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world. When He established the heavens, I was there, When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, When He set for the sea its boundary So that the water would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.” (Pro 8:22-31)
And as it is written in the prophets: "His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity." (Mic 5:2) And as Christ Himself testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." (Jhn 8:58) So “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” (Heb 11:3) And Christ is the unseen Word who spoke all things into existence; for the Son is the Word, “The Word made flesh.” (Jhn 1:14) And in these last times, He has put on flesh that we may know the Father.
And regarding the knowledge of the Father, Jesus Christ testified and said: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (Jhn 17:3) So we know why we must know Him; and now, we know how we may know Him; we may know the Father through the Son — and the deeds which He showed us from the Father. “The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (1Co 2:11) And God’s Spirit dwelt in Christ, “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” (Col 2:9); So He speaks God’s thoughts which were hidden; He speaks “by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1Co 2:13) And He taught us by parables and riddles; and His Words are written down for us today; they were written down by the holy apostles who seen Him.
For a son might be like his father in a way or two, but he may be like his mother in other ways; and a son may imitate his father in some ways, but imitate his mother in another way. But how much more do you suppose the Son of God resembles God? For Jesus Christ is the perfect Son of the Father, resembling Him completely in all His ways, walking after Him with all His heart and soul, receiving the testimony from Him, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased.” (2Pe 1:17) And because of Him, the prophecy in the Scripture is fulfilled, which says: "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jer 31:34)
For “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2Co 5:19-20) For “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2Co 5:21) “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1Pe 2:24) So if we know a tree by its fruit, speaking allegorically, what tree would you liken to Jesus Christ, whose fruit produces eternal life in those who partake? Is He not likened to the Tree of Life? As it says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.” (Pro 11:30) For His work shows forth God for fruit to everybody in whom it is implanted, through faith, growing up into a tree of life. As Aaron’s wooden staff “put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds,” (Num 17:8) so God made a lifeless piece of wood which Christ died, bud, blossom, and produce ripe fruit of life, in which the tree of life in the Garden of Eden acts as a type.
So it is not through any striving work of righteousness which we do that we are saved, but through the faith of the knowledge of the Son of God by the gracious Work on the cross. For everybody who beheld the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the time of the wilderness were spared. "Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (Jhn 3:14-15) And so, if anyone perish, it is because they do not set their eyes on the Father God and Jesus Christ. As it was foretold in the prophets who spoke, saying, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hos 4:6) And, “My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge;” (Isa 5:13) And, “The LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land.” (Hos 4:1) And David in the Psalms says, “Because they do not regard the works of the LORD Nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.” (Psa 28:5) As the Proverbs also say, "They hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the LORD.” (Pro 1:28-29) And, “Fools die for lack of understanding.” (Pro 10:21) And, “He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray.” (Pro 5:23) And, "He who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death." (Pro 8:36)
But we are not among those who hate knowledge and perish, but among those who are being saved through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. As it also says in the Proverbs, “Keep my commandments and live;” (Pro 4:4) And, The Word is “life to those who find them And health to all their body.” (Pro 4:22) And, "Forsake your folly and live." (Pro 9:6) And, “Through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.” (Pro 11:9) And the Holy Spirit speaks by the prophet Hosea saying, “I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hos 6:6) And as the apostles of the Lord are on record saying, men escape from “the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 2:20) And, God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) And they make mention, saying, we should “receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) And to “Pay close attention to (…) your teaching (…) for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” (1 Timothy 4:16) For God “manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved. (…)” (2Co 2:14) (I ask you to bear with me as I piece together scripture.)
So this divine knowledge of God is power unto us who are being saved; and grants to us “everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2Pe 1:3) So through the knowledge of God comes our righteousness; and “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1Jn 2:3) As the Holy Spirit speaks by the prophet Jeremiah, “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” (Jer 22:16) And as it also says in the Proverbs, concerning the knowledge of the fear of the LORD, it says, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” (Pro 8:13) “And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.” (Pro 16:6) For who would not fear such an awesome God! So “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1Jn 2:3) For the knowledge of the LORD works in us to fear Him and depart from iniquity. Who can know such a great God and not fear Him? For the fear of Him is wisdom and the knowledge of Him is understanding; as Job says, ”Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:28) And, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Pro 9:10)
So through the knowledge of the fear of God, we begin to grow in wisdom and understand knowledge. For, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;” (Pro 1:7) And through it, we are preserved from evil and saved from trouble; as it says, “The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.” (Pro 19:23) And, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.” (Pro 14:27) So through the knowledge of God we are saved, not through knowledge alone, nor through faith alone; for we are warned that our character ought to be “neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Pe 1:8) And that we ought not to “believe in vain.” (1Co 15:2) Nor, “receive the grace of God in vain.” (2Co 6:1) For knowledge is useful if one uses it for good; as it is written, “to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (Jas 4:17) And, “It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.” (Rom 2:13) So therefore, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” (Ecc 12:13)
For in the end we won’t be judged by who we know or what we believe, but by what we do. And we won’t gain entrance into this marvelous kingdom by knowing the King, but rather, we will enter if we are known by Him. For He will say to many, saying, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.” (Mat 7:23) However, beloved, concerning you it is written, “He knows those who take refuge in Him.” (Nam 1:7) And, “If anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” (1Co 8:3) So love the LORD with a pure heart. For who can know the love God has for us and not love Him? “We love, because He first loved us.” (1Jn 4:19) For this is how we know we love Him, “that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1Jn 5:3) As Christ says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Jhn 14:15)
Brethren, do not think that you can keep His commandments through observing them. For it is not through observing the commandments, but through observing Jesus Christ that we keep His commandments. For the religious folk thought through knowing the law they had life; as they said, “This crowd which does not know the Law is accursed." (Jhn 7:49) But Christ was always reproving them; at one time He said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (Jhn 5:39-40) And in their pursuit after a law of righteousness, “They did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,” (Rom 9:31-32) Which is Christ. “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” (Tit 1:16) And, just as it is written of them, ”THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU.” (Rom 2:23-24)
So let us not stumble over the stumbling stone as they did; but let us be among those “who did not pursue righteousness” and “attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith.” (Rom 9:30) But let us pursue Jesus Christ; for through faith, we establish the law by resting in His finished work which has been completed since the foundation of the world. Of which the Sabbath day is a testimony: for God worked six days in the world’s creation and rested the seventh day. And without question: one rests when work is completed. And God’s work has been completed since the foundation of the world. And speaking of Christ's redeeming work on the cross, He said, "It is finished!" (Jhn 19:30) And now He is seated at the right hand of the Father at a position of rest. And “we who have believed enter that rest.” (Heb 4:3) And we rest from our labors as we abide in Him; and “in Him you have been made complete.” (Col 2:10) For the seventh is a day of perfection, a day of completion and holiness — God worked six days and His works were completed and perfected by the seventh, so He hallowed it. So it is, by faith we are sanctified; He is perfecting us into His likeness through faith. As God speaks concerning the sabbath, “You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Exo 31:13) For on the sabbath, men rested from their works and God sanctified them. And likewise, we abide in Jesus’ finished work on the cross and rest in Him — for He sanctifies us.
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1Jn 3:1-2) As it is also written, “I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” (Psa 17:15) What a great hope we have in Jesus! Grace and peace be to you. Amen.
Let us look and see why the men of old did not believe in times past, so that we do not follow their evil example of disobedience. Let us see; let us see when Israel disbelieved the gospel which Moses preached to them: as it says, "they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.” (Exodus 6:9) For their heart was embittered and their eyes were dimmed because of hardship; they could not see the light of the gospel which Moses preached to them. For he was "like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes.” (Jeremiah 17:6) He was like Hagar in the desert: not able to see the well of water before her eyes (Genesis 21:19). Yes, we may not believe the good news in the bitterness of our soul; just as the Shunammite in Elisha's days did not believe the promise, which said, "At this season next year you will embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant." (2 Kings 4:16) For to her, every good news seemed to be a lie, for to her, it was too good to be true. And when a similar promise was given to Abraham concerning Sarah, which said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." (Genesis 18:10) Sarah laughed; for she and her husband were old, so she considered it impossible within her heart. And you know the divine response: "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14)
And let us remember Moses who doubted when the LORD promised to feed 600,000 men in the wilderness for a whole month; but the LORD responded, "Is the LORD'S power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not." (Numbers 11:23) As the mouth of unbelief says, "Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" (2 Kings 7:2) And furthermore, do you remember when Israel disbelieved because of the inhabitants in the land of Canaan, for they were giants and they seemed like grasshoppers in comparison (Numbers 13:32-33)? They did not trust God as a result, although they seen His mighty works, but they looked to themselves, and their hearts turned back to Egypt. The judgement of God was pronounced against them; and they were set to wander 40 years in the desert; but when they repented and sought to take the land, thinking it was an easy thing to take the land, the LORD was not with them and they were smitten by their enemies; and they cried to the LORD, but He did not hear them (Deuteronomy 1:45) because they did not listen to Him. So we can disbelieve when we think the promise is too grand for the LORD to accomplish. But contrarily, Naaman, who was a leper, thought it was too trivial of a thing to dip in the Jordan seven times for healing; and he went away in a rage, disbelieving in his heart. But he was turned back at the wise council which said, "Had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" (2 Kings 5:13) So he disbelieved at first because of the littleness of what was required of him.
We could also say in our hearts, "I will not believe until I see it with my own eyes!" As the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon, king of Israel, “I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.” (1 Kings 10:7) And as it was with Jacob, the son of Isaac, the patriarch, who did not believe the report about Joseph his son; "he was stunned, for he did not believe them.” (Genesis 45:26) However, when he heard more of their words and saw the wagons sent to carry him, his spirit revived within him. And as Thomas, the apostle of Christ, disbelieved and said, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:25) So we ought not to be like them, disbelieving until we see a sign. As Christ says, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” (Mat 16:4) And do you remember the king of Israel, Ahab, who did not believe Micaiah, the prophet of the LORD? When the prophet spoke favorably to him, but in mockery (1 Kings 22:15), the king did not believe, for he considered it too good to be true for him. And then when the prophet changed the report to an unfavorable one, but truthful (1 Kings 22:16), the king still didn't believe! For he was obstinate and hard hearted; he resembles the men of Israel when John appeared to them, when Jesus also was revealed to them; as it says, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.” (Luk 7:32) Yes, let us not be like them! For they did not believe no matter the type of message.
But let us believe the gospel of Jesus Christ: the truth of God and the grace of God. Let us not think what we have heard is too good to be true; for God is Good and He is the Truth. And the half of what is told us does not compare with the reality; for with every testimony, words only capture a part of the whole picture. Who knows the "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM" (1 Corinthians 2:9)? And let us not stop short of the conviction of faith because of our embittered soul; for the goodness and faithfulness of God is for the embittered and downcast; if our sins are too high in our sight, is not God higher still? As the LORD God says, "Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?” (Isaiah 50:2) “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.” (Isaiah 59:1) Therefore, do not disbelieve if what you hear is too high; and do not shrink back if the promise is too grand. God’s works are great and His arm is powerful, even the testimony of His works are marvelous! Do you expect anything otherwise from God? So why disbelieve when you hear of the great things He has done for those who fear Him? As it says, "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—You would not believe if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5) Therefore, let us believe His Word without seeing a sign and become a sign to the nations, bearing the sign of a changed life among our companions. If salvation comes through the preaching of the gospel, a thing which is trivial and foolish in the eyes of the world, and if faith is too small of a thing in our eyes, and if we were commanded a large thing, would we not have done it? How much more when Jesus says, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:29)?
So let us look intently at the men of old who believed and were saved from destruction. Let us consider Lot; he believed the message given by the angels who visited him; they warned him of the wrath and fiery destruction determined by God; and since he believed, even before seeing a flicker of fire fall from heaven, Lot warned his sons-in-law, "But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.” (Genesis 19:14) And they perished in the overthrow, but nevertheless, Lot believed, even before seeing a fire take flight in the heavens; and because of the testimonies the angels gave and because he believed them, he and his family were saved from being consumed by fire along with the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. And alongside Lot, our forefather Abraham “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) The LORD gave him the promise and he believed God, for he considered God is able to do what He says; and because of his faith, he rests, awaiting the promise of a new heaven and a new earth; although he went the way of all men on earth, he will live forever. And yet later, in the days of Moses, the leaders returned from spying out the land of Canaan; and returned and preached a false gospel which the people listened to; but Caleb and Joshua remained faithful to the LORD and gave a good report, for they remembered the mighty deeds of the LORD. And because of their faith, they were preserved by the LORD, but the rest of that generation perished in the wilderness as they wandered for 40 years in the desert, a year for every day they spied out the land. Caleb and Joshua were the only two of that generation to enter the land because they trusted the LORD. And what more shall we say? Rehab believed and was spared when Jericho was overthrown. Daniel was saved from the mouth of the lion "because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23); and his three friends were saved from a firey furnace, for they "put their trust in Him.” (Daniel 3:28) And yet later, Jonah preached to Nineveh, and it was said, “The people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5) For they heard the report of Jonah and considered his testimony, coming from God, and since they changed their ways, the LORD God repented of the overthrow He planned; as it is written, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.” (Jonah 3:10) So all of these escaped with their lives, because they believed God and the testimony His servants gave.
In times past God communicated with the people, He did so through the mediation of angels. When God spoke to Hagar, the Angel of the LORD appeared to her in the wilderness (Genesis 16). When the LORD appeared to Abraham, when they were heading to Sodom, it was through three angels (Genesis 19) — one, the angel of the LORD. And to Moses in the desert of Sinai, “The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush.” (Exodus 3:2) Moses was then send to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to redeem His people from his hand; and He made Moses “as God to Pharaoh,” (Exodus 7:1) as he stretched forth His arm to save the people. And the law was given to Moses “having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator.” (Galatians 3:19) And it was the Angel that God sent before them into the land of Canaan to drive out their enemies before them; as it is written of Him: "Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” (Exodus 23:20-22) This is the Angel who is greater than all angels, as it says, “My name is in Him”. An angel through which mediation is made; as it says, "If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him, Then let him be gracious to him, and say, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom'; Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man.” (Job 33:23-26)
For why do men need a mediator? Why do we need someone to stand in the middle, between us and God? Is it not because God is holy? Is it not because He is a Consuming Fire? When a man stands before a judge, he needs a lawyer to speak to the judge for him. Why? Because the judge sits with glory and his words are judgement. Who can change what he says? Would we not get ourselves into further trouble if we represented ourselves? As it says, “If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.” (Job 9:19-20) For God is Holy, and He has created the heavens and the earth and filled them with all things. And "He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.” (Job 9:32-35) So now, we see the need of a mediator.
And at one time God spoke to the people directly, and what was the result? Did they not fear death? As it is written, “Why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer, then we will die.” (Deuteronomy 5:25) And because of this, they sought for a mediator: someone to go in and come out of God’s Presence and speak what He says. For they said to Moses, You “Go near and hear all that the LORD our God says; then speak to us all that the LORD our God speaks to you, and we will hear and do it.” (Deuteronomy 5:27) And this thing pleased the LORD God when He heard it, and He said, “I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:28-29) So we do well if we fear Him; and it is because of the fear of God that we need a mediator.
Then it was said to Moses that, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15) For Moses was a mediator between Israel and God; and he spoke to them the Words of God as a prophet; and the people asked for Moses to stand between them. As it is written, “This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’” (Deuteronomy 18:16) And it pleased the LORD that they would ask for a mediator, and God gave the promise that someone like Moses would arise; as He says, "They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
And furthermore, from the house of Amram, came Aaron, the brother of Moses; he was also to intercede on behalf of the people, to stand and minister between Israel and God. So God inaugurated a holy priesthood from the descendants of Aaron for this service. The priests were sprinkled with blood, their holy garments with the altar and the utensils; under the law, nearly everything was sprinkled with blood. And Moses, acted as God, to consecrate Aaron and his sons with blood and the holy anointing oil that they may draw near unto God for the people. It is evident that they acted on behalf of the people, for Aaron wore the names of the tribes of Israel over his heart, and upon his shoulders he bore the names of the children of Israel. For the common people could not draw near the tabernacle, For “Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, must die." (Numbers 17:13) For even two of Aaron’s sons, the priests, offered strange fire before the LORD and perished by fire and died. So only the priests were set apart for this service, and the people could not draw near themselves. And even when the priests of the LORD drew near to God, they risked their lives for the people.
The work of the high priest was to make atonement for the people, through gifts and sacrifices and offerings to God, prescribed through the law. These were permitted to atone for the people’s sins, covering over them for a time; for that is what the word “atone” means, that is, “to cover”. For while God was covered from their eyes, they were covered of their sins; and their sins were not taken away, because the LORD was not yet revealed to them. So God made Aaron and Moses to be mediators between them until the fulness of time. And at a later time, when a plague broke out against the people, Aaron “put on the incense and made atonement for the people. He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked.” (Numbers 16:47-48) So he mediated for them and provided atonement for the people when they sinned. For the people sinned, what could they do for themselves as they are polluted? "Who can make the clean out of the unclean?” (Job 14:4) It is the nature of the most holy to make holy what it touches; but it is the nature of the unclean to make everything it touches unclean.
But the LORD God was not pleased with the priesthood, for they kicked at the holy sacrifices; and the sons of Eli profaned His holy name through their wicked works; for they were children of Belial, worthless fellows, good for nothing. And the LORD God promised, “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.” (1 Samuel 2:35) And the sons of Eli with their father died the same day as a sign. For, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.” (Leviticus 10:3) So the LORD God was not pleased with the priesthood because they were unfaithful; and He sought for Himself a new one.
And yet further, the design of the tabernacle of the LORD was given to Moses on the mount. For he observed the substance of heavenly things with his eyes, yet when he created the tabernacle and everything in it, they were mere copies of heavenly things. And if only the priests could draw near to copies of heavenly things, how much less can any draw near to the reality of spiritual things? If Uzzah was put to death before the LORD when he put out his hand to steady the Ark of the Testimony (2 Samuel 6:6-7), and those who looked into it perished (1 Samuel 6:19), how much less can any human draw near to these copies which God’s Presence rests above? The high priest was only allowed once every year to enter the Most Holy Place, and never without blood (Hebrews 9:7), and never without incense to cover the Ark of the Covenant from his eyes. And when the priests ministered in the Tabernacle, the inner veil hid the Ark from their eyes. And furthermore, when the Ark was moved, the descendants of Kohath, the descendants of Levi, were required to cover the Ark with the inner veil (Numbers 4:5), lest they see the Ark and die. And they were not allowed to touch it, so they carried it with poles, “so that they will not touch the holy objects and die.” (Numbers 4:15)
For the inner veil and the incense were partitions between the priests and the Ark of the Covenant, so they would not see the Ark and die. “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time.” (Hebrews 9:8-9) And a similar veil Moses wore over his face, because his face became bright from speaking with God face to face; so he wore a veil because the people “were afraid to come near him.” (Exodus 34:30) And “until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted.” (2 Corinthians 3:14) “To this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart.” (2 Corinthians 3:15) So if Moses was mediator between God and the people, and even he needed a veil over his face because of fear, then this signifies that even more mediation is needed; “for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29) (This further mediation represents the holy apostles of the Lord.)
Then a little bit later, in the time of the judges, Samuel was raised up to judge Israel. And in his days, the people asked for a king; just as they asked previously for a mediator in Moses’ days, but the LORD was not pleased with this. For they asked this thing, “Although the LORD your God was your king.” (1 Samuel 12:12) So they rejected God as King and sought a king for themselves like the nations surrounding them. So Samuel gave them a king, Saul, and the king was to preform the duties of a mediator, to “judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." (1 Samuel 8:20) But after some time, Saul was rejected as king over Israel because he did not continue in the ways of the LORD, but rejected Him; and God reject him and sought for another king in his stead, as it is written: “The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." (1 Samuel 13:14) As it was prophesied through Micah, "As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2) And as it is prophesied through the prophet Jeremiah about this Ruler who was to come; as he says, “‘Their leader shall be one of them, And their ruler shall come forth from their midst; And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 30:21)
For if Esther, even the queen to the king, risked her life to approach the king in all his glory (Ester 4:11), how much do we risk our lives if we dare approach the Living God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords? "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall He go up from us?" (1 Samuel 6:20) "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" (Isaiah 33:14) “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place?” (Psalms 24:3) If we tremble when we stand before a king, a ruler, or a judge, how will we be able to even stand before the Living and the Righteous Judge? If the heavens bow before Him, and the mountains melt like wax when they see Him, how will we not be consumed even by His splendor? So we see, we need a mediator between us and God.
And finally: in a monarchy, the one who is second in command to the king is the king’s son. And he acts as mediator between the people and the king; no-one speaks to the king unless the son has heard it beforehand. In the days of the patriarch Jacob, his son Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brethren; but he was exalted as second in command — only Pharaoh was above him in all the land of Egypt. As Pharaoh says to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." (Genesis 41:44) So Joseph was given the position of Pharaoh’s son and mediator between Pharaoh and all the people. And Mordecai, the Jew, was exalted as second to King Ahasuerus (Ester 10:3), taking on the form of the king’s son. And concerning the Seed, or the Son, Abraham was given a promise, “All the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your seed forever.” (Genesis 13:15) And again, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis 22:18) And at another time, the same Seed was prophesied about: as it says, “I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Genesis 3:15)
Concerning the Seed, or the Descendant, David was also given an everlasting promise: "I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” (2 Samuel 7:12-15) And concerning the Son, it was foretold by Isaiah, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) And again, through Isaiah the prophet, he says: “A child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
So you see: Christ Jesus is the Mediator like Moses, He is the angel of the LORD like the heavenly hosts, the Prophet like Moses, the High Priest like Aaron, and the King of the Jews like David; He is the Son of the Father; He is the fulfillment of all the types and shadows found in the Law prophesied by God through His prophets. Only with Him as a Mediator can we approach God as witnessed by the law and the prophets. As Elisha the prophet says, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you.” (2Ki 3:14) And the same goes for us: if it were not for Jesus Christ, we would not be seen before God the Father. And Jesus always makes intercession for us, just as Moses interceded on behalf of the people finding atonement through prayer, which was outside the appointed way for atonement in the law. This is what Solomon saw when he interceded for the people to the Father, “whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel…” (1Ki 8:38) And God answered Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, saying: “My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2Ch 7:14) "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ezk 22:30) But the LORD has for Himself a Good Shepherd — Jesus Christ, the righteous.