The Kingdom of God As Scripture’s Central Theme: A New Approach to Biblical Theology, Part 2
God’s right to ultimate rule was never to be confused with the rule of an earthly king. David recognized this when he lifted up praise before the Lord: “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). Eventually the tension between God’s rulership and the mediated rulership of a human king would become fused in the coming of Messiah Jesus, who was fully God and fully man.
The building of the temple in Jerusalem under Solomon meant that God would have a permanent house in which to dwell. The omnipresent God chose to continue the localized manifestation of his divine presence, the Shekinah Glory (Ex. 25:8; 1 Chron. 6:1-2, 18). He would reside within the Holy of Holies enthroned between the cherubim (Ps. 99). In a magnificent vision, the prophet Isaiah saw God reigning from his temple:
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:1-4).
As long as God continued to manifest his presence in the temple, Israel was assured that the grace of God continued in their midst. To lose his manifest presence signified God’s judgment upon his people because they had broken covenant (Jer. 11:10-11). Such a terrible day was witnessed in a vision by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 9-11). In judgment for their wickedness God brought Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, against Jerusalem. He destroyed the temple, and plundered its treasures (2 Chron. 36:18-19).
The Kingdom of God in the Psalms
The Psalms are the worship songs of Israel. The songs reflect the heart and thinking of God’s people, for they grew out of their experience with life, the good and the bad. These are the songs they have sung throughout history. The songs have given them the strength to endure, for they remind the people God still reigns and he has not forgotten his promises. In all of life they saw the hand of their covenant God. Consequently, the Psalms often celebrate God as the Sovereign Lord who sits upon the throne of his everlasting Kingdom clothed in regal splendor (Ps. 24; 47; 93; 95-99). Over his people Israel, and indeed over all peoples and all creation, he is known to rule with righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness, holding all accountable to his holy standards (Ps. 9:4-8; 11:5-7; 89:14). Psalm 45:6 says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” God is gracious and compassionate, good and loving to all he has made (103:8). He is faithful, upholding the cause of the oppressed, feeding the hungry, setting the prisoner free, giving sight to the blind, lifting up those who are bowed down, loving the righteous, watching over the alien, and sustaining the fatherless and the widow (Ps. 10:12-18; 145:6-21). The Lord protects and blesses those who are faithful to his covenant (Ps. 18:20-31; 25:10; 37); he cuts down and destroys the wicked (Ps. 1:4-6; 11:5-6).
Category: Biblical Studies, Spring 2001
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