On this sixth day of my 50 days of waiting for the commemoration of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit to the followers of Christ), the text of the following song has lodged itself within my heart:
"Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place
Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place
Omnipotent Father of mercy and grace
Thou art welcome in this place."
Thou Art Welcome by Dottie Rambo and David Huntsinger (1977)
The above words are most fitting from the heart and out of the mouth of any Christ-follower -- a title I am humbled and grateful to bear. Beckoned by the Father to meditate on His Word, I dare not approach Scripture without making room for the Holy Spirit, without welcoming Him into my heart. He is the Counselor and Comforter who convicts and convinces my head and heart of the truth inherent in the message of the One sent from the Father.
And so, as I continue my meditation on Psalm 51, I thank and welcome the Holy Spirit. I bow my heart in humility and worship as His perfect wisdom enters my whole being for the glory of Jesus and the fulfillment of the Father's purposes.
During these 50 days of waiting, leading to Pentecost Sunday on June 8, I have been led to reflect upon this penitential prayer of David. I am taking it at a snail's pace, patiently digesting the psalm line by line.
As things currently stand, I am still pondering the heading of Psalm 51, which reads, "For the director of music. A Psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba."
And today, I have come to the phrase "When the prophet Nathan . . . "
The first thing that strikes me about the above fragment is the word "when" itself.
When.
It points to a specific time.
It speaks of God's use of chronos.
It calls our attention to the Father's timetable.
It draws my gaze to the genesis of God's interaction with humanity (Genesis 1:1). It takes my mind to the time in history at which point God walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day while humanity was hiding in sin (Genesis 3:8). It sends my mind careening around the moment in time that witnessed a feeding trough cradling a baby boy born in Bethlehem -- Immanuel, Prince of peace, Wonderful Counselor, the Bright Morningstar, Jesus -- sent from heaven to earth to save God's people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
It highlights specific moments that featured the One sent from the Father walking the lanes of Israel, going from town to town and preaching the good news of salvation to young and old, sick and well, rich and poor, Jew and Samaritan. It directs my whole being to the darkest hour in history when Christ's thirsty lips parted to scream, "Eloi! Eloi! lama sabachtani" (Matthew 27:46). It points me to the day when a tomb in Jerusalem was found empty -- Praise the Lord!
Especially during these 50 days of waiting, "when" points me to the day of Pentecost -- the Spirit of God came to rest upon and inhabit the heart of each Christ-follower (Acts 2:1-13). It leads me to Christ's promise that He will answer me every time I ask, He will be found by me each moment I seek Him, He will open His door every time I knock. And, ultimately, it points me to a day in the future when Christ shall come to fetch me home with Him!
There is no other way to look at it -- "when" matters to God!
When . . .
. . . the prophet
Let me now look into the particulars of the prophetic office. In His nature, God speaks -- He spoke the world into existence and revealed Himself to humanity. As such, God is His own prophet and the proclaimer of His own will. However, ever since sin entered the world, the holiness of God has stood in such stark contrast to the wickedness of mankind that a middleman, a mediator became necessary.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers
through the prophets at many times and in various ways . . . "
Hebrews 1:1, NIV
He spoke to Noah (Genesis 6:13) who "did everything as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22). He spoke to Abram who later became Abraham -- through him all nations are blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). He spoke to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses who was appointed to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian servitude into freedom.
It was also Moses the Father used to teach the Israelites concerning the prophetic office in Deuteronomy 18:14-22. That particular context instructs believers that the Father willingly raises for His people individuals sent by Him whose words must be heard and heeded -- especially when sin is involved.
God calls such individuals prophets.
The everlasting Father has established the prophetic office because, at Horeb, the frightened Israelites (struck with a plague because of the incident of the golden calf) had said, "Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Thus, "the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp . . . " (Exodus 33:11, NIV) and reveal to the people what God had shared with him.
Moses was not the only one; all the prophets following Moses were used in like fashion to lead God's people to Him.
Just like "when," the prophetic office matters to God!
When . . .
. . . the prophet . . .
. . . Nathan
Hence, as we return to Psalm 51 and read "When the prophet Nathan," we know Nathan must have been truly inspired by God for him to be handpicked to deliver a word to David -- one regarded as a man after God's own heart.
Indeed, Nathan was the one God used to tell David he was not to build a temple for the Lord. 1 Chronicles 22:8 sheds more light on that subject, "You have shed much blood and fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight." In the end, Solomon, David's son who was a man of peace and rest, was the one chosen to build the Lord's temple.
Nathan was also the one charged with reprimanding David for his dealings with Uriah the Hittite, including the adultery he committed with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12). In another account, the prophet Nathan was the chosen one to reveal to an elderly and dying David Adonijah's plot to steal the throne from Solomon (1 Kings 1:8-45).
And just like "when" and the prophetic office, the messenger also matters to God!
When -- the timing is crucial.
the prophet -- the Word is vital.
Nathan -- the messenger is essential.
" . . . in these last days
He has spoken to us by His Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things,
and through whom He made the universe."
Hebrews 1:2, NIV
My current "when" is defined by the writer of Hebrews as "in these last days." Ever since the One sent from the Father, Jesus, began preaching the good news, humanity has been living "in these last days." In fact, the apostle Paul (working under the prophetic office of Christ) wrote to his young charge Timothy about these last days:
"But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God --
having a form of godliness but denying its power . . .
But as for you,
continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of,
because you know those from whom you learned it,
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures,
which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
2 Timothy 3:1-5 & 14-15, NIV
Indeed, sin is a tumor that has now grown to an alarming size. Christ's sacrifice on the Cross was and is and always will be the only medical procedure with sufficient x-radiating power to burn the cancerous invasiveness of sin. His prophetic office reminds me that:
- in His perfect "when," Christ (the ideal Nathan) confronted my sin head-on, replacing my filth with His righteousness at Calvary
- in His perfect "when," Christ (the ideal Nathan) continually confronts my sinful tendencies, reminding me of His grace that frees me to say no to wickedness
- in His perfect "when," Christ (the ideal Nathan) will finally remove all traces of sin from me, glorifying my body to the conformity of His perfection in heaven
Yes, Christ is the crowning achievement of the prophetic office. He is the Word who became flesh and dwelt with me. He spoke, speaks, and will always speak to encourage my confused mind to partake in the grace of repentance from sin in order to embrace the holiness of God.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for teaching me today. Thank You for confirming the message of Christ to famished and thirsty souls. Lord Jesus, You are the Prophet my soul needs to hear and heed at all times. Thank You for coming to me when my need and the Father's pleasure meet most amazingly. How awesome and gracious and patient You are! I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!
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