THE GLORY OF GOD’s SOVEREIGNITY

PART 1

ABRIDGED VERSION

 

Following is a simple summary of Gods Glory and Sovereignity. The extended version follows in part 2.

Firstly, a definition of Sovereignty.  It means: God is supreme and outside or exempt from external control.  The Sovereign is Royal and requires loyalty and obedience.

Next I need to list important verses of The Old Testament which will be overviewed in comments later.

GOD AS CREATOR

Genesis 1: 1-2

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

 GOD’S NAME

You will notice above ‘God’ ‘created’.

The Hebrew word for ‘God’ is Elohim.  This is a plural noun.  Elohim is His impersonal Name.  The Hebrew word ‘created’ is a singular verb.  Very amazing!  The Spirit of God is also mentioned.  This means that God is more than One Person – The Creeds mentioned in an earlier Chapter tell of these Persons.

 GOD CREATES ALL WE KNOW

Genesis 1: 3-25

 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning— the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”

7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.

8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.

10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.

12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,

15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.

18 To govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.

25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Notice in these verses God says “it was good”.

 GOD CREATES MAN

 Genesis 1: 26-28

 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

 ‘Man’ here means humans – humanity – male and female (:27).

 GOD’S SOVEREIGN, KINGLY COMMANDS

 Genesis 1:29-31

 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

 Remember everything God made ‘was good’, and He rested the seventh day.

 Genesis 2:15-17

 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;

17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Adam was not to be alone so the LORD God gave him a ‘helper’ – Eve (:18).

Notice God’s Name now becomes LORD God.  Remember from above that ‘God’ in Hebrew is ‘Elohim’.  In Hebrew the word ‘LORD’ is YAHWEH (YHWH).  This is God’s personal Name as contrasted with ‘Elohim’ His impersonal Name.  The word ‘YHWH’ was too holy to print in Hebrew Scripture.

MAN’S DISOBEDIENCE – THE FALL

 Genesis 3: 1-6

 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden”,

3 but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”

4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.

5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

 I comment on the above disaster later in this Chapter.

 RESULT OF THE FALL

The fall begins Man’s descent into sin.  Genesis 4: 8 teaches of the first murder – Cain kills his brother Abel.  Situations, relationships become worse and worse.

Genesis 6:5-8

 5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.”

8 But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD.

 Genesis 7:1-7

 1 The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”

5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood waters came on the earth.

7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

 Be encouraged to read the Chapters up to Genesis 12.

Genesis 12:1-4

 1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

2 I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.

Abram was faithful to the LORD and all God’s elect to His day are his sons through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Genesis 15:6

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

 GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IN EXODUS

I cannot describe all the truths here.  Be encouraged to read God’s peoples’ deliverance:

• The Passover (Exodus 12:1-28)
• Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:29-51)
• Journey to Sinai (Exodus 15:22-18.27)

 GOD’S TREASURED POSSESSION

THE ADOPTION OF HIS ELECT

 Exodus 19:3-6

 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:

4 You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,

6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

 FURTHER COMMANDS – 10 STIPULATIONS

 Exodus 20:1-17

 1 And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery”.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me”.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below”.

5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your one guiltless who misuses his name”.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy”.

9 “Six days you shall labour and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates”.

11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you”.

13 “You shall not murder”.

14 “You shall not commit adultery”.

15 “You shall not steal”.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour”.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”

 FURTHER LAWS AND REGULATIONS

 I do not have time in this summary to analyse in detail all defined above.  Be encouraged to read Leviticus on God’s Laws on Cleanliness, moral laws, regulations for feasts, obedience and disobedience.

However, as before the Flood, situations started to become worse and worse.

As we move into the time of the Judges, this was the case – worse and worse.  Then the people started to think about a King – they had God as King!  Samuel was born circa (c) 1105BC.

I Samuel 8: 1-9

 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel.

2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba.

3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.

5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.

7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.

9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

So, to be brief, they were given Kings to rule over them.  We move rapidly on.  We come to the time of Solomon born c 991BC.  From his life there were many positives including the temple and the Proverbs.  He was not the only author, but they were written to encourage the youth to live Godly lives and to benefit society.

However, things became worse, for we remember –

I Kings 11:1-13

 1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.

6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.

8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.

11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

DIVIDED KINGDOMS

Thus the Kingdom divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah in c 950BC.

From c 950 – 722BC there were 19 bad Kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  God warned them.  They did not listen and were unbelieving and disobedient to God’s commands.  Thus in 721BC the Northern Kingdom of Israel was ‘divorced by the LORD’.  The House of Israel was ‘lost’.

                   Isaiah 50:1

 1 This is what the LORD says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.”

We see the Northern Kingdom divorced and they became as gentiles – blind to their real identity.  A remnant remained – God’s elect (Romans 3: 25-26).  This happened as their hearts were not for the LORD.  They only saw the physical side of circumcision not circumcision of the heart.  A heart cut off – separate from sin – this is the meaning of holiness.  So we see:-

                   Isaiah 5:1-7

 1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.

2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard.

4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?

5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.

6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

7 The vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

 Isaiah: 6:8-12

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

9 He said, “Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.”

10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “For how long, O Lord?” And he answered: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged,

12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.”

Isaiah 29:13-20

13      The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.

14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

15 Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?”

16 You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me?” Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing?”

17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seemed like a forest?

18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down—

Similar disobedience occurred in the history of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  The Prophet Jeremiah’s ministry began c 626BC and went to c 580BC.

From the history we learn that between c 713BC – 702BC 46 of the 49 cities in Judah were captured and most of the people deported to Assyria.

Between c 604BC – 586BC the Babylonian conquests occurred.  A remnant remained and the rest of the people were deported to Babylon for 70 years.  Jeremiah records:-

 Jeremiah 8:4-10

Particularly notice Verse 8.  They distorted God’s truth.

4 Say to them, this is what the LORD says: “When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return?”

5 Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

6 I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle.

7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the LORD.

8 How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD,”  when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?

10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.

Jeremiah 18:7-12

7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,

8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.

9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,

10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

11 Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, “This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.”

12 But they will reply, “It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.”

When in captivity in Babylon there were 2 groupings:-

‘The Good Figs’

Jeremiah 24:5-7

5 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.

6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.

7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”

‘The Bad Figs’

Jeremiah 24:8-10

8 “But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,” says the LORD, “so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.

9 I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them.

10 I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.”

We need to remember that the ‘bad figs’ were unfaithful to the LORD.  They did not follow the law of Moses.  When in Babylon they began to establish an ‘oral tradition’.  They made their own religion the ‘Babylonian Talmud’ and they eventually became the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.  As discussed above, God would make a change in them.

 Jeremiah 31: 31-34

 31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Now, words from the Prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

God makes the change in us.  This is so important I need to expand this truth here.  It will be repeated in the Chapter on the Deity of Jesus.  Thus Jesus said:

John 15:16

16 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while  you will see me.”

The Apostle Paul records:

 Ephesians 1:4

 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 3:5-6

 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

We now turn to the Prophecy of Daniel, c 550BC.

THE ISSUING OF THE DECREE

People returned to Judah in 538BC.  The Prophet Daniel records:-

Daniel 9:25-26

 25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.”

This decree or word is recorded in the Book of Ezra.

Ezra 7:11-26

 11 This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel:

12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

13 Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go.

14 You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.

15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

16 together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.

17 With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

18 You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God.

19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God.

20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you—

22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

23 Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?

24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.

25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

From my research I date the Book of Ezra c 440-430BC.

We then turn to the Prophet Malachi written c 430BC.

 GOD’S NEW DELIVERER

Right throughout the Old Testament we see a Deliverer, a Person who will save the remnant and indeed all the elect till the end of our history.  Indeed our history is His Story.  We go back to Genesis!

Genesis 3:15

 15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

We see that immediately after the Fall, God had a plan.  ‘Offspring’ above means ‘seed’ and ‘crush’ means ‘strike’.  This is fulfilled in Jesus with His victory over Satan (Romans 16: 20).

Well, we now know the Delivery and Saviour is Jesus, the Eternal Second Person of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Again look at the Creeds defined earlier.

The Prophet Isaiah was guided by the Holy Spirit with many references to the Anointed One, the Holy One, to come.  These references are important when we see the revelation the Prophet Malachi was given later (Mal 3: 1, 4: 5.)

Isaiah 7:13-14

 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

‘Immanuel’ means ‘God with us’.

Isaiah 9:1-2

 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

 Isaiah 9:6-7

 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 11:1-5

 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Here we see the sevenfold Spirit of Jesus (Revelation 1:4) and Jesus the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5-6).

Isaiah 41:14, 16, 20

14 “Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

16 You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

20 So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

We know that Jesus, the eternal Living Word (John 1:1-5), was the One always speaking in the Old Testament, concealed there but revealed completely in his New Testament.

Isaiah 52:13 

 13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Isaiah 53:12

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Above is a summary of Jsus mission the Father gave Him (see Mark 8:31, 9:31, and 10:33-34).

 Jeremiah 23:5-6

5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

Jesus is our Righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).

 Jeremiah 31:31-35

 31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

35 This is what the LORD says, “He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name.”

The elect will know Jesus (John 17:1-5).  Faith comes with hearing (Romans 10:9, 17).

The Eternal Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, whilst concealed in the Old Covenant, is seen in the Psalms – His ministry and mission to save His people (Matthew 1:21, 23).

 Psalm 2:7-9

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your Father.

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

See in two areas in the New Covenant (Mark 1:9-11, 9:7 and Hebrews 1: 5, 5:5-10).

Psalm 22:7-8, 15-20

7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

8 “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.

18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

19 But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

20 Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.

These insults were at Jesus (Matthew 27:39 and John 19:28, 34, 20: 25).

Psalm 69:3-4

3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

They hated Jesus without reason – it still happens (John 15:25).

 Psalm 110:1

 1 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

A very important truth!  In the above verse:

‘LORD’ is YAHWEH, the Holy Trinity acting in perfect unity.

‘my Lord’ is David’s Sovereign King – He is Jesus concealed in the Old Covenant and revealed in the New Covenant.  Please read:

Matthew 22:44-45

Mark 12:36-37

Luke 20:42-44;

Acts 2:34-35

Hebrews 1:13

Psalm 118:22-23

22 The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Next an amazing prophecy from Micah who recorded what the Holy Spirit revealed to him.  He prophesized c 750 – 686BC.  The prophecies of Isaiah were c 701BC – 700 years before Jesus came, c 300 years before Malachi.

Micah 5:2-5

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be their peace.

 In verse 2, Micah mentions ‘Ephrathah’.  We remember there are two Bethlehem’s – the one where Jesus was born in Judea, a village about 5 miles (8 kilometres) south of Jerusalem – Hebrew: Yerusalem – ‘yer’= city, ‘u’ = of ‘salem’ = peace – David’s city.  The other Bethlehem is 7 miles North West of Nazareth.  ‘Origins from old’ refers to Jesus’ truth in:

 John 8:58

 58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

And in Verse 5 – Jesus is our peace.

Ephesians 2:14

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,

Jesus is our eternal peace.

Thus, we can now study what Malachi prophesied.

 Malachi 3:1

1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

There would be 400 silent years until Jesus came.  The messenger who prepares ‘the way’ is John the Baptist, the New Elijah.  The Lord who comes is Jesus, the messenger of His New Covenant.

 Malachi 4:5

5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”

The Prophet Elijah is John the Baptist – this totally revealed in the New Covenant.  It is all about Jesus – the Eternal Living word who with the Father and Holy Spirit made all things (John 1:1-5, Colossians 3:15-20).

One more Old Testament truth:

 Zechariah 9:9

9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Chapter on the Deity of Jesus gives further truths on Him being totally revealed in His New Covenant or agreement with His elect.