8/11/2023 0 Comments English menaing of greek oikon![]() In the same way, Christians also have tended to develop misconceptions concerning the full meaning of these Messianic prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus. And when Jesus speaks of a place in his Father's household ’ for them ( Med.#2), they don't seem to connect this with Nathan's prophecy- that God as a Father would also establish his household through his anointed 'Son'. They seem to be deaf to Jesus' teaching that his kingdom begins in a hidden, seemingly insignificant way and grows gradually-like yeast in a lump of dough and like a mustard seed, since his kingdom is ‘not of this world’ (Jn.8:36). ![]() Thus, in Jesus' day, his disciples expect him to re-establish David's kingdom by becoming an earthly king over Israel who would ‘remain forever’ (Jn.6:15 12:34 Acts 1:6). Yet Jewish nationalism and their human experience of earthly kingdoms lead them at the same time to misunderstand other aspects of these prophetic words. Also, the reference to this ‘son of David’ doing something wrong has been omitted, while the Psalms texts (above) portray God as 'Father' to a David-like ‘Son’ who will rule over the kings of the whole earth! Thus, Israelites who studied the Scriptures came to understand that Nathan's prophecy was not just about Solomon, but about God being ‘Father’ to a unique royal ‘anointed one’ (Messiah) in the future. For instead of the focus being on David's royal household (‘ your house’) and on Solomon (‘ his kingdom’), the emphasis is now on God's household (‘ my house’) and on his (‘ my’) kingdom. ![]() Yet when we look at how the Holy Spirit directed the second telling of the story ( 1 Chr.17), Nathan's prophecy suggests a much bigger promise. And finally, he will show himself a Father in a working partnership-in which the son builds a temple (‘house’) for the glory of his Father's name, while God establishes the rule and dynasty (‘house’) of this ‘son’ ‘forever’. Thirdly, we learn that God will show himself a Father by maintaining faithful love-never abandoning this ‘son’, even when he does wrong. Thus, when God tells David that he will ‘discipline’ Solomon ‘when he does wrong’, he is speaking of disciplining or correcting him as an adult, not as a child. So the first two things we learn, therefore, are: that God promised to show himself a ‘Father’ to a human ruler over Israel named Solomon and that this ‘fathering’ would occur during the four decades of his adult rule. From the first reference, we learn that God planned to be a Father to David's son and royal successor, Solomon-who was most likely in his early twenties when he is anointed king, and whose reign lasted ‘40 years’ (1 K.11:42). Seven of the nineteen direct references to God as Father in the Tanakh (37%) center around a prophetic word given by Nathan to King David, for it reappears four times and is referred to three more times.
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