In the progressive revelation of God’s promised redemption, the figure of the redeemer becomes clearer. The Messiah, or Anointed One, will be one who will reign as king. It was prophesied by Jacob and realized in David, Israel’s archetypal king. But the task of restoring humanity to a state of peace and abundance in fellowship with God is more than any earthly king could accomplish. This deficiency was something that David appears to have grasped, for in Psalm 110 he pays homage to one he calls “my Lord,” whom Yahweh exalts to his right hand: “The Lord says to my Lord/“Sit at my right hand,/until I make your enemies your footstool.” Remarkably, this figure was one to whom even the God-appointed king of Israel must pay obeisance.
The identity of this figure was claimed by Jesus himself (Matthew 22:41-45), and proclaimed with apostolic authority (e.g., Acts 2:34-36). He was the promised Son of David who fulfilled the covenant given to the shepherd turned king. He ushered in the kingdom that has as its hallmarks, equity, justice, righteousness, and peace. The works that he did testified to his true identity; and though he was “killed by the hands of lawless men,” God demonstrated through his resurrection, ascension, and subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that he was, that he is, “both Lord and Christ.”
Advent is a time of waiting in anticipation. For those alive at the time of Jesus’ birth, it had been a millennium since David wrote his prophetic lyrics. But those who waited in faith saw their faith rewarded. Our advent season is even longer than theirs. Yet our reason to hope is greater than theirs. Not only do we have the record of Jesus’ ministry on earth that testifies to his Messianic anointing, we have the vision of the one who possesses “the keys of Death and Hades,” the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, [who] has conquered,” of whom voices in Heaven proclaim, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever,” and who himself testifies that, “I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 1:18; 5:5; 11:15; 22:12). Armed with this vision may we be reminded, in the words of the hymn, that,
“This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world; the battle is not done;
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heav’n be one.”
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