My
Vision on the Meaning of Christ Being Brought Forth
I
partitioned the Lord to show me the meaning of the following verses so that all
disputes concerning these passages of Scripture amongst honest seekers for
truth might be reconciled. Early this a.m., Sunday, April 12, 2015, the angel
of the Lord, Gabriel, showed me that the SDA
Bible Commentary on the following verses is correct. Therefore, I have
included all that the Commentary says on the following verses, in this
document. As well, I have included all the Ellen White Comment references to
each chapter.
Certain SDA independent
ministries are taking allegories and metaphors relative to these verses and
totally misapplying and misinterpreting them. The following links are also
important in arriving at the full truth on the issue of Christ’s deity and
eternal existence.
https://omega77.tripod.com/eternaldeityofchrist.htm
https://omega77.tripod.com/eternaldeityofchristscripture.htm
"The Lord possessed me in
the beginning of his way." Prov. 8:22.
Brought Forth "Before the mountains were settled, before the hills
was I brought forth." Prov.
8:25.
Begotten
"The Lord (Jehovah) hath said unto me, Thou [art] my son, this day have I
begotten thee." Psalm 2:7.
I was
shown that Psalm
2:7 refers to
Christ’s Incarnation which began when He was slain from the foundation of the
earth which refers to His heavenly Sanctuary beginnings of His Incarnation
sacrifice, at which time the Son of God began the process of being divested of
His Divine attributes which would be cumbered by His humanity when He should
later come in the likeness of sinful human flesh.
Rev
13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
PROVERBS
CHAPTER 8
1 The fame, 6 and evidency of wisdom. 10 The excellency,
12 the nature, 15 the power, 18 the riches, 22 and the
eternity of wisdom. 32 Wisdom is to be desired for the blessedness it
bringeth.
1. Wisdom cry. Wisdom is
pictured as a woman crying out to all men (see ch. 1:20–23). On every hand, God has
placed inducements to lead men to think of the ways of righteousness and to
seek understanding (Prov. 8:2; cf. 2 Peter 3:9).
4. O men. Two different
Hebrew words are used in this verse for “man”: The first one, ’ish, refers to man as a male and implies such
masculine qualities as strength and individuality; the second one, ’adam, is used of
mankind in general, all the sons of Adam and, often, the daughters too. Wisdom
calls both to men who have already established in themselves a degree of wisdom
and experience and who have developed their individuality, and to those who are
still allowing themselves to be swept along by the mass of humanity, with
little concern as to where they are going.
5. Simple. Heb. petha’im, a term that includes those who have not yet given their hearts to
know wisdom, but are still uncommitted to evil. They are still in the
valley of decision, ready to be influenced by good or evil. It includes those
also who are easily enticed. By contrast, the “fools” are those who have
actively resisted the call of wisdom and are hence more difficult to win to the
way of life (see ch. 1:7).
6. Excellent things. Heb. negidim,
literally, “princely things.” Elsewhere nagid is rendered “ruler,” “chief,” “prince,” etc.
Wisdom will speak things that befit a ruler. One of the weaknesses of our times
is that princes and rulers often speak things that are far from right (Eze. 22:25–28). When those who should set an example of
nobility come down and join the mass of men in ignoble pursuits, the general
level of the nation sinks.
8. Nothing froward. The words of
true wisdom contain nothing that is perverted. In this day, when science holds
so much more honored a position than goodness, when wisdom is less sought than
knowledge, those who are esteemed as wise men often speak words that are far
from right. This is due to the fact that their basic philosophy, their outlook
upon life, is determined by false theories as to right and wrong. “The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and those who reject their belief in a
personal God and in an absolute standard of behavior are not wise (Ps. 14:1; 1
Tim. 6:20, 21; 2 Peter 3:3–5).
9. All plain. The humblest
Christian who accepts the revelation of God in His Word has a foundation for
belief that is as firm as the throne of God. He may well be considered to have
developed a better understanding of the real nature of the universe than the
wisest unbeliever (see Ps. 25:14; 1 Cor. 2:14; PK 31).
11. Than rubies. Compare ch. 3:14, 15.
12. Witty inventions. Heb. mezimmoth.
All previous occurrences of this word (chs. 1:4; 2:11; 3:21; 5:2) have been
translated “discretion.” There is no valid reason to depart from this definition
here. Mezimmah comes from the
root zamam, which means
“to consider,” “to purpose,” “to devise.” This verse begins a long section in
which wisdom extols her high value.
13. Pride. When the true
relation between the eternal, high, and holy God and the sinful mortal heart is
realized, there is no place for pride.
15. Kings reign. Early
expositors took these words as applying to Christ. There seems to be a
transition somewhere in this chapter from a personification of wisdom as an
abstract quality to Christ’s being personified by the figure of wisdom. There
is no verification of such a transition by a direct quotation from this chapter
in the NT,
although in Rev. 3:14 there is an allusion to the LXX translation of Prov. 8:22 that
would tend to equate the speakers of these respective passages. It is true
that many of the attributes the speaker of Prov. 8 ascribes to himself are
descriptive also of the work and nature of Christ. However, Inspiration must
remain the guide as to which sections of the passage can be positively regarded
as having an application also, or perhaps exclusively, to Christ (see TM 200; 1T
396, 397; Ed 142; PP 34; DA 764; see on Deut. 18:15).
The statement, “by me kings reign,” is true
equally of Christ as of wisdom. The Bible makes it clear that there is no power
apart from God and that the length of time a ruler retains authority is
determined by an overruling providence (Dan. 2:20, 21; 4:17; Rom. 13:1; cf. PK
535).
17. That love me. Christ said
that He and His Father would love those who loved Him (John 14:21). The problem
of the love of an unchanging God apparently turning to hatred of those who
reject or who hate Him is dealt with in previous chapters (Prov. 1:26–31;
6:16–19).
Seek me early. This means to
seek so diligently that one rises early in the morning to press the search.
Because of the distractions of worldly affairs, and the deceitfulness of the
human heart, persevering diligence is required to maintain a saving
relationship with true wisdom and with God.
18. Riches and honour. Wisdom claims
to have with her three rich rewards to be shared with those who seek her. The
riches that wisdom offers are durable riches. They include the imperishable
treasurers that are laid up only in heaven (Matt. 6:19–21). The lives of some
of the world-famous philanthropists have demonstrated that wealth accumulated
and used in right ways can be stable and satisfying even here upon earth, but
to many, material prosperity becomes a snare (see 1 Tim. 6:9, 17, 18).
Honor is almost as highly prized by mankind as
are riches. But human honor is an intangible reward and external to the
individual. Wisdom offers honor with God (see 1 Sam. 2:30).
Righteousness. A priceless, heavenly prize. The power of the Saviour is
promised to all who seek goodness. This power makes it possible for a sinful
human being to follow the good counsel of wisdom. Righteousness is an inward
reward made evident in outward behavior (1 Cor. 1:30).
19. My fruit. The natural
law that like begets like works also in spiritual things. If a man sows wisdom,
he will reap the good consequences of wisdom (Prov. 8:8; Gal. 6:7, 8). Whenever
the soul is surrendered, goodness flows forth from the life.
20. Midst of the paths. Wisdom leads
down the center of the road of life, avoiding all extremes. Man cannot stray to
the right hand or the left without her voice saying, “This is the way” (Prov.
4:27; Isa. 30:21). When that voice is heeded, the treasure that awaits in heaven becomes more real and its inheritance more
sure with every day’s march.
This passage is equally plain when applied to
Christ. Christ has gone before us and marked out for us the path of
righteousness and judgment. In the days before the cross He spoke through
patriarchs and prophets (1 Peter 1:11). All the symbolism of the Mosaic ritual
law pointed to the coming of the One who would cleanse the sinner from his
sinfulness.
Even if there were no eternal life to gain, it
would still be the part of wisdom to walk in the way of righteousness. Not all
men have much substance in the way of worldly possessions, but all good men can
possess real treasures of peace and contentment, which are, after all, the
greatest gain (1 Tim. 6:6).
22. The Lord possessed me. The meaning of
vs. 22 to 31 has been the
cause of much discussion through the centuries. The LXX has the following
introduction to the subject: “If I declare to you the things that daily happen,
I will remember also to recount the things of old.”
There is an obvious parallel in this passage
to the work of the second person of the Godhead (see PP 34). However, the
passage is allegorical, and caution must be exercised not to press an allegory
beyond what the original writer had in mind. Interpretations derived must
always be in harmony with the analogy of Scripture.
Some have sought to find support here for the
view that there was a time when Christ was not in existence, and that He was
created, or brought forth, by the Father as the beginning of His work of
establishing an orderly and inhabited universe. Dogmatic conclusions from figurative, parabolic passages are
unjustified. The misleading
results of such a course may be demonstrated in the popular interpretation of
the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31). Verification of
doctrinal beliefs should always be sought in the literal statements of the
Bible. For literal statements on the subject under discussion see Micah 5:2;
John 1:1; 8:54; cf. DA 24. Compare also the following: “In Christ is life, original,
unborrowed, underived” (DA 530). “The
Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct
person, yet one with the Father” (EGW RH April 5, 1906). “Christ is the
pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. … He assures us that there never was a
time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God” (Ev 615; see also DA 19, 24, 25).
In the light of these statements the reading
of modern translations that depart from the Hebrew to follow the LXX and read
“created” instead of “possessed” (for example, RSV), can lead to unwarranted
conclusions.
While there is doubtless a reference to
Christ, He is presented in the figure of wisdom. For another illustration of
such blending of application see Eze. 28, where the
“prince of Tyrus” is, in part, presented as a figure for Satan.
23. Set up. Heb. nasak, a word that has several meanings: (1) “to
pour out,” as drink offerings (1 Chron. 11:18); (2) “to weave” (Isa. 25:7); (3)
“to set,” “to install,” as obviously here.
24. Brought forth. Heb. chil,
“to writhe” and “to tremble”; in a few cases, “to bring forth [as a child].”
Chil is used in Ps. 90:2 for the forming of the
earth. Here it is used in a metaphorical sense to refer to wisdom.
27. I was there. Whether the
preparation of the heavens is regarded as referring to the separation of the
waters below and above to form the firmament (Gen. 1:6–8) or to the making of
the starry heavens (John 1:3; Col. 1:16, 17), wisdom was there.
Compass. Literally,
“circle.”
28. The clouds. Job was
challenged to explain the balancing of the clouds (Job 37:16). Through the
accumulated knowledge of science, men now understand in part how the multiplied
millions of tons of rain in the clouds are held up and what causes the rain to
fall. It was divine wisdom that established the conditions that govern the
distribution of rain and snow.
30. One brought up. Heb. ’amon. There is much
uncertainty as to the exact meaning of this word. Jewish tradition assigns to it the definition “workmaster,”
“foreman.” Others propose the meaning “fondling,” “minion,” “foster child.”
31. Sons of men. Man was the
crowning work of the Creator (PP 44). While God loves and cares for the animal
creation, it was but part of the environment of Adam and Eve. Animals may be
sagacious, but they cannot know the wisdom that is the fear of the Lord. God
could find His image reflected only in man. Hence special delight and interest
was shown in him (see Heb. 2:7, 8).
The delights of wisdom are also with the sons
of men. Man is privileged to enter into the thoughts of God. He can find the
Creator’s glory written upon every leaf and shining in every star. Through
association with his Maker and through the instruction of holy angels in Eden
(see PP 50) Adam grew to comprehend more and more of the infinite wisdom of
God. Even today, when minds are darkened by sin and the faculties of perception
are weakened, there is still great satisfaction to be gained in the reverent
study of the thoughts of God as expressed in nature and in revelation. Earthly
pleasures can never bring the abiding serenity that is conferred by heavenly
wisdom (see Ed 21, 27).
32. O ye children. The LXX reads
“[my] son.” This version does not have the remainder of this verse, nor v. 33.
In view of the blessings of wisdom it would be
folly to close the ears to the call of wisdom. Compare the statement of Christ
in which He turned aside an attempt to exalt His mother and affirmed that
blessing or happiness comes from heeding the word of God (Luke 11:28).
33. Hear instruction. The Bible is
full of instruction. All its laws, provisions, and requirements represent an
adaptation of divine wisdom to the needs of men. To follow such instruction
ensures life here and in the age to come. Hence, those who regard divine law as
an infringement upon man’s liberty of action bring upon themselves the charge
of foolishness.
34. Watching daily. Many pictures
are suggested by this verse. Some see eager students waiting for an honored
teacher to come out to resume their instruction, others see Levites guarding
the doors of the Temple, still others are reminded of a lover waiting long
hours in the hope of catching a glimpse of his beloved. All emphasize the
necessity of making a deliberate effort to begin each day under the direction
of divine wisdom. Man stands in dire need of this wisdom (James 1:5).
35. Life. Eternal life
is the reward of the diligent search for wisdom, eternal death the penalty for
failure (see 1 John 5:11, 12). The successful search for wisdom means the
surrender of self to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (see John 16:13). Such a surrender makes it possible for God to work upon us and
for us the wonders of His grace. To give the same blessings to the unsurrendered would be as dangerous as to give a gleaming
razor to a child.
36. Love death. Because the
outcome of life is the consequence of the attitude taken toward saving
knowledge, a rejection of wisdom is the condemnation of the soul to eternal
death. The call of wisdom is heard by every man many times throughout his life,
and much of the suffering of the finally impenitent will be remorse as they
realize that they have themselves chosen the annihilation that is soon to come
upon them (see DA 764; GC 668).
ELLEN G. WHITE
COMMENTS
7 ML 331
8 Ed 69
13 PK 34
14 TM 200
17 CG 491; CT
330; 1T 397
18 Ed 142; 3T
540; 6T 258
22, 23, 29, 30
PP 34
31 CH 455; PK
211; 5T 195
36 DA 764
PSALM 2
Introduction.—The first of the Messiah psalms, Ps. 2, has been
appropriately called a Song of the Lord’s Anointed. Ps. 1 and 2 have a
complementary relationship. As Ps. 1 celebrates the blessedness of the good
man’s life of meditation on God’s law and the ultimate failure of the wicked,
so Ps. 2 shows the futility of universal rebellion against the Lord and the
blessedness of peoples that put their trust in the Son of God. Ps. 1 describes
the two ways for individuals; Ps. 2, the two ways for peoples. Ps. 1 begins
with a beatitude; Ps. 2 closes with one. “Man proposes, God disposes” may well be given as the theme of
Ps. 2. That Ps. 2 has Messianic import is attested in Acts 4:25–27 (see DA
778).
Structurally, the psalm falls into four
portions, each stanza containing almost the same number of words. The first
stanza (vs. 1–3) presents a picture of the high and mighty of earth defying
the Ruler of the universe and His Messiah; the second stanza (vs. 4–6), in
a contrasting picture, shows the Lord’s disdain for their taunts and
establishes Messiah as King in Zion. The third stanza (vs. 7–9) represents the
Son of God contemplating the decree that made Him the legal owner of the world;
the fourth stanza (vs. 10–12) advises submission to the Lord’s Anointed. A
blessing concludes the psalm (v. 12).
That David is the author of Ps. 2 is attested
in Acts 4:25. It is noteworthy that the early church designated the psalm “the
second psalm” (Acts 13:33).
In his oratorio The Messiah, Part the
Second, Handel used vs. 1–4, 9 of Ps. 2 as words in the air for bass, chorus,
and recitative and air for tenor, immediately preceding the Hallelujah Chorus.
1. Why do the heathen? The psalm
begins abruptly with a picture of violent confusion. The word for “heathen”
means properly “nations”; it was applied to the idolatrous nations surrounding
Israel. Luther paraphrased the question of the psalmist thus: “How can they
succeed, who set themselves against Jehovah and against His Christ?”
Rage. Heb. ragash. This word
occurs only here (the Aramaic form is found in Dan. 6:6, 11, 15) and means “to
be in tumult.”
The people. According to
the laws of Hebrew parallelism, the word expresses the same idea as “the
heathen.”
Imagine. Heb. hagah (see on Ps. 1:2).
These sinner deliberate on something that cannot be
accomplished. All their purposes against God’s government are certain to fail.
2. The kings of the earth. The phrase
gives a specific form to the generalization of v. 1. “Kings” stands in
opposition to “my king” of v. 6. The attitude expressed in “set themselves” is
that of determined resistance.
Anointed. Heb. mashiach,
from which we get the word “Messiah.” It signifies literally, “an
anointed one.” Mashiach is twice translated
“Messiah” (Dan. 9:25, 26). According to the ancient custom, oil was poured upon
the heads of priests and kings when these officials were being consecrated to
their work (see Ex. 28:41; 1 Sam. 10:1). David frequently referred to Saul as
“the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 24:6 10; 26:9; etc.). That the psalm has
Messianic import is evident from Acts 4:25–27; see also Matt. 26:63; John 1:49;
Acts 13:33; Rom. 1:4; Col. 1:18; Heb. 1:2–5.
3. Break their bands. The rebels
against God are represented as speaking out, expressing their desire to break
the restraints imposed by Jehovah’s authority. Instead of describing the
action, the poet represents the rebels defiantly declaring their intentions.
4. Shall laugh. In contrast to
the tumultuous picture of the nations, Jehovah is pictured sitting calmly,
serenely, in the heavens (see Ed 173; MH 417), laughing at the vain attempts of
the rebels. Overruling Providence crosses the designs of men of corrupt hearts
and turns their course into foolishness (see 2 Sam. 15:31). God is conceived
of, or in figure described, as possessing human attributes: He will “laugh”
(see Ps. 37:13; 59:8; etc.). The Talmud says: “The Torah [law] speaks in the language
of the children of men.” The inspired writer expresses the characteristics
and attitudes of Deity in the language of human beings, so that men may
understand. Compare Ellen G. White’s inability to express the
glories of heaven because she could not use “the language of Canaan” (EW 19).
The idea suggested in “laugh” is further expressed by the words “derision,”
“wrath,” and “displeasure” (vs. 4, 5)—all of which indicate the divine contempt
for rebellion.
5. Then shall he speak. God’s seeming indifference will not last forever. The word
“then” implies that God will eventually declare His purpose.
6. Yet have I set my king. “Yet” is the
translation of the Hebrew conjunction generally translated “and,” but which
here has the force of introducing a quotation. The pronoun “I” is emphatic, and
is contrasted sharply with “them” (v. 5) referring to those who conspire
against Jehovah.
My holy hill of
Zion. See Ps. 48:2. Zion, the name of the southern hill in the city
of Jerusalem, becomes its poetical name.
7. I will declare. Jesus, the
Anointed One, the Word, God’s spokesman, speaks in turn, interpreting God’s
great declaration of His Sonship. He is no usurper;
He holds His office as Messiah by His Father’s decree. This decree implies (1)
that Jesus is to be acknowledged as the Son of God, and (2) that His reign is
to be universal (vs. 8–9; cf. Eze. 21:27).
My Son. See Heb. 1:2,
5; cf. Matt. 14:33; 16:16; Acts 8:37; 1 John 4:15.
Begotten thee. This statement
must not be construed as implying an original generation of the Son. “In Christ is
life, original, unborrowed, underived” (DA 530). The Bible is its own best
interpreter. Inspired writers must be permitted to make the precise application
of OT
prophecies. All other applications are human opinion, and as such lack a
plain “Thus saith the Lord” (see on Deut. 18:15). The
inspired apostle’s comment on the prophecy of this text makes the psalmist’s
words a prediction of the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:30–33). The
resurrection from the dead in a unique way proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of
God (Rom. 1:4).
8. Ask of me. The relation
between Jehovah and the Messiah is such that any request of the Son would be
granted. The utter futility of any attempt of the rebels to overthrow the
government of the Anointed One is emphasized. As heir, the Son inherits all
things, and is thus able to share them with us as heirs together with Him (see
on Rom. 8:17).
9. Rod of iron. Symbolic of
the scepter of rulership, Messiah’s enemies will
completely subdued.
Dash them in pieces. Compare Rev.
2:27; 12:5; 19:15.
10. Be wise now. Two ways lie
before the rebels: either to continue rebellion, which will produce
destruction, or to submit to the divine will, which will mean eternal
happiness. The psalmist, as a brother pleading with his fellows, solemnly
exhorts the leaders of the rebellion to submit. It is foolish to rebel.
Be instructed. Literally, “be
admonished,” “be disciplined.” The leaders are advised to recognize their duty
to Jehovah and His Messiah, and to lend their influence to promoting it.
11. With fear. This phrase
and the phrase “with trembling” suggest humble reverence mingled with awe in
the realization of the awful consequences of rebellion against the purposes of
God. The word “rejoice” implies that there is joy in the worship of God.
12. Kiss the Son. That is, do
reverence to the Messiah, whom Jehovah has declared to be His Son. The word
“kiss” suggests the Oriental custom of paying respect to persons of superior
rank (see 1 Sam. 10:1). The psalmist advises those who would rebel against the
Messiah, to recognize Him as King and to submit to His reign (see John 5:23).
Though the
translation “kiss the Son” represents an entirely natural rendering of the
Hebrew, the versions, both ancient and modern, show varieties of renderings. The LXX
translates the clause, “lay hold of instruction,” which is also the reading
of the Vulgate. These translations appear to be based on the Jewish definition
of the word for “son,” here not the Heb. ben, but the
Aramaic bar, which the Jews, after the Exile, applied
also to the admonitions of the Torah. The word for “kiss,” nashaq,
also means “to join” (see Eze. 3:13, where nashaq
is translated “touched”). The combination of the two ideas produces the
translation of the LXX. Instead of “kiss” several versions read “do homage” (Moffatt, Ray, the translation of the Jewish
Publication Society of America). “Do homage” is simply an interpretive
rendering of the word for “kiss.”
Although the early church attributed Ps. 2 to
David (Acts 4:25), critical scholars have usually dated the psalm in the
post-exilic period. They advance as their argument the fact that the Heb. ben and the Aramaic bar, both meaning
“son,” appear interchangeably in the psalm. This argument is no longer valid.
The same two words are used interchangeably in a
Ugaritic letter of the 14th century b.c.
This shows clearly that the presence of Aramaic words in any Biblical book is
no evidence for a late origin.
The translation of the RSV, “kiss his feet,” is based
on a reconstruction of the Hebrew text involving a rearrangement of a number of
the letters of the text. In the light of the fact that the Hebrew text as
it stands is easily translatable and yields a rendering contextually sound, the
suggested change is so drastic that it must be rejected. For a full discussion
of the translation problems of this text see Problems in Bible Translation,
pp.
144–147.
Perish from the way. In the light
of infinite love (John 3:16), God’s wrath must eventually blaze forth against
sin and consume those who refuse to accept the Messiah. But God’s heart of love
yearns for the salvation of Israel (see Eze. 18:30,
31), and He has no pleasure in the destruction of sinners (v. 32).
Blessed are all they. The psalm
closes with a beatitude pronounced upon all who trust in Jehovah’s King. All
men, of all ages, climes, and nations, have sinned and need a Saviour. Blessed
are they who recognize their need and put their trust in the Messiah. It is the
Christian’s solemn duty to appeal to men to repent of their sins and submit to
the rule of Jesus, God’s Anointed Son. Ps. 2 has been
called The Messiah’s Missionary Hymn.
ELLEN G. WHITE
COMMENTS
1–4 DA 778
4 PP 739
12 DA 414
In the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Ronald William Beaulieu
chs. chapters
LXX Septuagint. A. Rahlfs, editor, Septuaginta (2 vols.; Stuttgart, 1935)
RSV The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version (New York, 1952)
[1]Nichol, Francis D.: The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 3. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978; 2002, S. 970
Talmud The Babylonian Talmud, Soncino, ed., translated under the editorship of I. Epstein (35 vols.; London, 1948-1952)
LXX Septuagint. A. Rahlfs, editor, Septuaginta (2 vols.; Stuttgart, 1935)
b.c. Before Christ
RSV The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version (New York, 1952)
[2]Nichol, Francis D.: The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 3. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978; 2002, S. 632
[3]Nichol, Francis D.: The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 3. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978; 2002, S. 635