Seeing Jesus in All His Glory: A Prayer for Righteousness
Chronology is a little tricky in the grand narrative of scripture. Each narrative has a purpose and seldom is the purpose to make sure everything is in the exact order of events. The gift of our scriptures allows us to see how God has revealed himself since creation—both his nature as well as how he revealed himself in Jesus. Paul reminds us that scripture is “God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (1 Timothy 3:16). The apostle John reminds us that the gospel records were given so that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing we might have life in him (John 20:31).
At the end of 2 Samuel, we find a section of scripture that says, “These are the last words of David.” Based on things we read in 1 Kings, these words in 2 Samuel probably were not the exact last words of David but are a song or poem that summarizes David’s life and legacy and point us toward the everlasting covenant he was given that his throne would last forever. This throne, as we know, points to the eternal throne of King Jesus.
One line jumps out as I read this passage this morning:
“When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.”
David certainly had seasons when he ruled justly. But David also had seasons when he gave in to temptation, and the consequences of his sins were catastrophic for his family, for others, and for the people of God. Yet God kept his promises that through David’s family would come a king who would dawn like the morning, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
Jesus, our righteous king, described his kingdom throughout his ministry. And he also spoke of the differences between the kingdom of men versus the kingdom of God. Both Hannah in the beginning of 1 Samuel and David at the end of 2 Samuel describe the differences in righteous rule verses the unrighteousness of those who rule to please themselves. There is a great example and a great warning for us in these passages as to where our loyalty must lie if we are to follow Jesus.
So today, Father, we pray that you would open our eyes to see who and what is righteous. We confess that in our weakness and longing for quick solutions to our problems, we choose loyalty to ideology and to leaders that do not reflect your kingdom. Forgive us. Open our eyes to see Jesus in all his glory and to hear his words that pierce our hearts. Give us courage to follow him first and always in all we do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
1 Samuel 2:1-10; 2 Samuel 23:1-7 ESV
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