This is the second time Nathan had to come to David with a word from the Lord, at least the second time recorded in Scripture. But this time David spoke the prophetic word upon himself.
Author: Daniel
David committed a series of sins that started out minor and culminated in the most egregious of sins of adultery and murder. This tragedy sets up a series of later tragedies that nearly take David off the throne permanently but they also harken back to the story of Adam and Eve and their fall from grace.
What do the following six important women in the Bible have in common? How did their experiences shape the future of the people of God?
This story has a story within a story. It begins with the death of Nahash, the king of Ammon (1st Samuel 11). David was touched by Nahash’s death and sent a condolence party. The prince of Ammon treated this party poorly and that insult was the beginning of the end of Ammon’s power.
Chiastic structures for the Messiah in the Prophets are not pictures of the Messiah, but rather “Shadows” of the Messiah. The TaNaK (Torah, Prophets and Writings) frequently uses thematic equivalents to indicate who and what the Messiah will be. The chiastic structure we will be looking at today focuses on love and adoption. There are multiple chiastic structures in this chapter alone.
Once David had some security in his kingship, he seeks out Jonathan’s kin and discovers that Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth is still alive (and has a son of his own) and has survived the political assassinations and turmoil that were part of the aftermath of Saul’s death.
Chiastic literary structures you find in the TaNaK (Torah, Prophets and Writings) and the Apostolic Scriptures give us prophetic clues in texts that don’t seem to be prophetic at all.
Once in a while it’s good to get back to basics. The “gospel” of the Kingdom of God is more than the life, death and resurrection of the Messiah. Shimini Atzeret, or the Eighth Day (Isaiah 52), is a celebration of salvation, peace, restoration and the reign of God.