Our series for advent at Bethel Grove is called Safe House: A Forgotten Christmas Story. We are tracing a theme from the Old Testament to the Gospels, the theme of a secure house of fellowship with God built by Jesus Christ. Ultimately, his house will be for the whole world.
What kind of study is this? What method of theology are we using?
We tend not to ask these questions today. It’s Christmas. Surely, all we need to do is recite the classic passages of prophecy and fulfilment, sing “We Three Kings,” and watch the Kingdom Kids play—which you should definitely do at BG on Christmas Eve! Why bother with an academic question about the theological discipline we’re engaged in?
The kind of study matters because we evangelicals have gotten sloppy in using our Bibles. In quoting the classic passages every Christmas, we can forget why they are classics. We can read, for example, how a child is born who will reign on “the throne of David” forever (Isaiah 9.6-7). But we can miss what Isaiah’s words meant at the time. Why did he refer to David? Was Isaiah announcing new information in the 8th century, or had this been known in Israel already?
When we hear familiar words without reflecting, we miss their richness.
Worse, we might get the impression that prophecy in the Old Testament is a mound of puzzle pieces that you can only put together if you have the picture on the box—or a lot of time on your hands.
The richness of these classic passages comes from the way Scripture tells the story of Messiah. We can recover that richness through Biblical Theology, a discipline that lets the Bible tell its story in its own way. Instead of treating verses like a jumble of puzzle pieces, pulling out this one and trying to make it fit with that one, we let the Bible unfold the tale like a film. There is conflict, suspense, and resolution.
Biblical Theology uses several principles.
The Bible is a coherent whole.
The Old and New Testaments are distinct but not divided. There is not one God in the Old and another (improved) God in the New. There is no change of plan that results in Jesus coming to earth. Rather, the Bible shows that Jesus’s coming was the plan from the beginning. Isaiah 9.6-7 is not an exceptional link between the testaments. It’s just one link among thousands.
The key to the Bible’s story is the covenants.
Each covenant God makes with a human being—Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.—reveals more about how God will redeem the world from sin and whom he will send to accomplish it. In Safe House, we focus on the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7.1-17). God promised that David’s Son will reign eternally on David’s secure throne. This information was indeed known in Israel—and celebrated—long before Isaiah in the 8th century. Isaiah 9.6-7 was not just looking forward in hope, but also looking back in memory.
The Bible’s story has a few repeated ideas.
God promised that David’s Son will build a house (2 Samuel 7.13-16). In one sense, this is a reference to David’s dynasty as king. In another respect, “house” refers to a temple, the permanent place of worship that Solomon would build. The temple is a much-repeated idea in the Bible, from the garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem. It’s the place where we experience the direct presence of God in security and intimacy. Thus, in yet another sense, “house” refers to the eternal safe house that Jesus makes for us in his Kingdom.
So, we are finding the richness of Christ’s coming this advent using Biblical Theology. We’re letting the Bible unfold its story in its own way. In recovering this discipline, we want to see classic words with fresh eyes.
I'm looking forward to this series unfolding. There is so much rich truth to be mined. Some carols speak to the ages-long story. 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' starts with creation and ends with the book of Revelation (saints before the altar bending...) .
Yes!