Readings: II Samuel 6-7, Psalm 136, I Corinthians 3
II Samuel: Wow! I can only stand in awe of this one. In II Samuel 7, David wants to build a house for the Ark of the Covenant--for the spirit of God. God comes to Nathan the prophet and tells him to deliver this message: He lets David know that one of David's own kin will establish a house for God. This prophecy was fulfilled when Solomon built the temple. But we should read on in verses 11-16:
"'The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you. When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with the floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"
Now on the surface, it looks as though God might have screwed up this prophecy. After all, Solomon never was beaten with a rod or flogged with a whip, and the line of David is no longer sitting on Israel's throne. Or did God screw up? I suggest, along with Peter, Paul, and all major Bible scholars, that this a prophecy about the coming Messiah. Those who have studied Messianic prophecies know that this particular passage is also referring to Jesus, who was of the line of David both through Joseph and Mary. It was Jesus who was flogged and beaten with a rod before His crucifixion--but wait. Jesus didn't do wrong--or did He? Remember when God turned away from Jesus during the crucifixion, and Jesus yelled, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" Jesus had taken on the sins of the world and therefore had, in God's eyes, done wrong. Again, this is a common understanding among those who've studied Messianic prophecy.
But here's the kicker--the thing that just popped out at me today because I read this prophecy within the context in which it was written in. Solomon established a resting place for the spirit of God--God's temple. And it was only after Jesus' death--after Jesus completed the work He came to do--that the Holy Spirit began to permanently reside in men & women. Jesus, one of David's line, established the true temple for God's Spirit--us. Whoa! Doesn't that just hit you with a, "God is sooo awesome!" kind of moment.
Even more amazing is how this relates to A Prophecy Forgotten. I can't tell you any of the details because it would ruin the sequel, Out of the Shadows, and the third book. I will just say this: Davian's ring is important, and the implications of the ring and what it stands for mirror this prophecy, kind of. Those of you who have already read A Prophecy Forgotten are probably thinking, "What ring?" Well, I had to create the ring a month ago because Davian needs something of extreme value to willingly give up to redeem something. I won't say anything else....
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