The Lord’s Unique Perspective (Reading Isa. 40:18-26; 46:5-10; 55:3, 6-9, 11)

Wayne Galloway
08/20/14 - N/A

Series: Additional Studies

Introduction:

1.  The God of heaven is unique. 2.  He sits above the circle of the earth and we are like grasshoppers in His sight. 3.  Unlimited by time, He knows the past and understands the future.  And thus, we really ought to listen to Him, and none other. 4.  Truly God has a unique perspective and this is revealed not only in what He communicates but also in the way He communicates it.

Discussion:

I.  Our perspective illustrated as a great library.

A.  Imagine yourself visiting a great library

B.  There are thousands, even millions of books there.

C.  Each one describes events that have transpired historically in the past.

D.  We pull one volume from the shelves.  It describes the history of the Roman Empire.

1.  But we recognize that it does not describe all the history of the Roman Empire.

2.  It just covers certain events that the author chose to put into this particular volume.

3.  We understand that this author could only write about what he knew and so most events are left out.  We understand that this so called “history of the Roman Empire” is VERY abbreviated.

E.  As we are browsing the great library we realize that all of the books here are of past history and we wonder how many more volumes will be added to this library in the future.  It is hard to imagine.

F.  But such is the case with our perspective.  It is limited and we resign ourselves to reading a volume or two just to get a glimpse of some brief moment in time, described by an author of limited perspective, but the vastness of the great library reminds us of just how little we

II.  But we continue to read over our lifetime volume after volume and our understanding increases and we are fascinated more and more, but we can never keep up because the library continues to grow.  We continue to read volume after volume. III.  God’s perspective is different.  

A.  He is not limited by time, nor the limitations of a human author to tell the story.

B.  He is not limited by the size of the library, nor by the various volumes in it.

C.  He does not have to read one at a time.

D.  He sees the entire history from beginning to end.  From the beginning into what for us is the future.  He sees it all.

E.  How would you like to read His book?  This is the very thing that Scripture claims to be.

F.  Does it bear the marks of such a perspective?

IV.  There are many evidences of this. 

A.  Fulfilled prophecy itself is the major evidence of course.

B.  But I want to look with you at the unique perspective that is evidenced in the way things are communicated.

C.  Examples of God’s unique perspective revealed in “unusual” language.

1.  Deut. 18:15-22.

a.  Notice as you read the text that it seems like a reference to one prophet like Moses.

b.  But the language shifts and it becomes evident that God is talking about multiple prophets.

c.  Our conclusion:  “A prophet” is generic and refers not to a single prophet but to all the prophets that God will raise up like Moses.  That is a legitimate understanding and reasonable interpretation of what God has said.  Cf. Lk. 11:49-50.

d.  And yet the explicit teaching of the N.T. is that the passage has reference to a particular prophet—Jesus Christ.

1)  Acts 3:22-23.  Cf. Acts 7:37.

2)  Jn. 12:48-50.

e.  The Jews were expecting a particular prophet (Jn. 6:14).

f.  Observe that the language of Deut. 18 “looks through” history.  It does not see it as different volumes on the shelf in the great library, each separated by its own cover, but it sees it as all one interconnected event.  Does it involve prophets?  Yes, but it involves a single prophet, a prophet par excellence.  Our interpretation of God’s language must take under consideration His unique perspective.  If not we will not comprehend what He is communicating.

2.  2 Sam. 7:12-16.

a.  After an initial reading of this text it is easy for us to conclude that it is referring to King Solomon.

b.  He is the descendent of David.  He built the temple.  He sat on David’s throne.  He was the one corrected by the rod of men.  This is a legitimate and reasonable interpretation of what God has said.  See 1 Kings 2:12; 8:20.

c.  Yet an angel said that Jesus would be given the throne of His father David, and would reign forever (Lk. 1:32-33).  And Jews generally regarded such an application to the Messiah as a legitimate interpretation.

d.  Peter reasoned that the resurrection of Jesus was the inauguration of the Messianic reign on the throne of David (Acts 2:29-36).

e.  Some say, “a double fulfillment.”  Probably not the best language.  Some have used the illustration of two mountains, one before and one behind and observes that God sees both.  Or we might say that God “looks through” history revealing different elements of the same prophecy at the same time?

3.  We see evidence of this same kind of dynamic in the tabernacle-temple-heaven relationship.  Sacrifice of animals contra. Sacrifice of Christ.   Levitical priests contra. Christ as priest.  Sinai contra. Zion.  Cf. Hebrews.

D.  It is this same perspective that seems to be evident in Jesus’ language in Matt. 24.

1.  Some read Matthew 24 and see in it the future coming of Christ.  Immediately look for signs of His coming in our day.

2.  Others say, “No, it is the destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus is talking about.”

3.  Others say some parts of Matt. 24 apply to the destruction of Jerusalem and others to the second coming.  They try to separate which verses apply to which.

4.  Maybe Jesus is not looking at the library as composed of individual volumes, but that He is “looking through” history seeing inter-related events describing them all as part of the one story.

V.  How such a perspective can change our view of things.

A.  We tend to view history as a series of different volumes.

1.  Perhaps we look at the events described in the Bible as in a different volume than us.

2.  Those events become remote, distant, unrelated to us?  Future events?  Well they too are remote, distant, and unrelated??

B.  Perhaps a different view is in order.

1.  The Scripture gives us a compressed history.

2.  It gives a different perspective and therefore a different insight.

3.  With the perspective that we are given by Scripture we are not like those who do not have such a perspective.  Is this what Paul is talking about in 1 Thess. 5:1-11 and elsewhere?  We have insights that others do not because it is given to us by a God who sees.  Noah prepared for a flood because He had a God who saw what was coming. Abraham sacrificed Isaac, because He had a God who had revealed that Isaac would have children.  And how are we any different?

Conclusion:

1.  Our God sees and knows all history.  He has written a book in which He has revealed to us the critical elements of that history. 2.  We have insights available to us that allow us to be prepared. 3.  It is our history and our future that He is revealing to us. 4.  The question is, “Do you believe it?”