What am I thinking forgetting the Gospel in the OT? Horton Takes Manhattan 2.5

So I was talking to Derrick about my response to Michael Horton regarding the Manhattan Declaration and he asked me in a nice way what on earth I was thinking of beginning my response in the Gospels and not earlier.  Well, I could do it, but I’d just be repeating his labors.  Consider:

In its most basic form, the term ‘gospel’ (Greek nouns euaggelion and euaggelia, verbs euaggelizo and euaggelizomai) means “good news.” But even before we get to the specific gospel that was proclaimed throughout the NT, we find that the “generic” use of the term is almost always related to a certain kind of news. This news is either the defeat/death of a king, the ascension of a new king, or both. And the news is good because the old king was usually a tyrant, enemy, or the like.

So for example, Saul’s death was “proclaimed” (euaggelizo, euaggelizomai) among Philistia as the good news of a vanquished king (I Sam. 31:8, 9; II Sam. 1:20). From the standpoint of the Philisites, this was gospel. But someone tried to proclaim this “good news” to David and he did not take it very well (II Sam. 4:9, 10). David mourned another gospel proclamation as well. His son Absalom had treasonously grabed the throne of Israel and forced David into exile. But David’s men later defeated Israel’s army and Absalom was killed. This meant that David could return as king to Israel; thus, this “good news” was brought to him (II Sam. 18:19-32 where some form of ‘gospel’ occurs nine times). David was distraught because his son had died (II Sam. 18:33), but this does not take away from the fact that the message was indeed gospel. The usurper had been killed and the true king would reign.

Years later, Adonijah thought that Jonathan was bringing “good news” regarding Adonijah’s attempt to be David’s successor (I Kin. 1:41-43). It was indeed good news of a new correnation, but the new king was Solomon. Progressing through the kingdom years, we find that the the Lord scared off some invading Syrians so that Israelites were able to plunder their empty camps. This deliverance from the Syrians – their defeat and plunder – was described as a day of “good news” (II Kin. 7:9). The prophet Nahum described the judgment and destruction of the Assyrians as “good news” that would come from a messager and result in feasting for Judah (Nah. 1:15; 2:1 in LXX). Finally, we can see that when God gains victory over His enemies, many “proclaim” (euaggelizo) the defeat and plunder of kings (Ps. 68:11, 12; 69:12, 13 in LXX).

So the bottom line with respect to these “generic” references is that the gospel relates news of a tyrant’s defeat and/or the ascension of a new king. But the NT clearly refers to a promised “gospel” that we have not yet addressed. Is this specific gospel – the “big gospel” – like the more generic ones that we have reviewed thus far? In fact it is, because what it promised was just like these smaller gospels. The ultimate OT gospel was the announcement that God the King would return to gather His people from exile and rule among them.

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
says your God.
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned;
for she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
and every mountain and hill brought low;
the crooked places shall be made straight
and the rough places smooth;
the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”…

O Zion,
you who bring good tidings [euaggelizo],
get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
you who bring good tidings [euaggelizo],
lift up your voice with strength,
lift it up, be not afraid;
say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand,
and His arm shall rule for Him;
behold, His reward is with Him,
and His work before Him.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
and carry them in His bosom,
and gently lead those who are with young. (Is. 40:1-6, 9-11)

Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean
shall no longer come to you.
Shake yourself from the dust, arise;
sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion!…

For thus says the Lord God:

“My People went down at first
into Egypt to dwell there;
then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord,
“That My people are taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them
make them wail,” says the Lord,
“and My name is blasphemed continually every day.
Therefore My people shall know My name;
therefore they shall know in that day
that I am He who speaks:
‘Behold, it is I.’”

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news [euaggelizo],
who proclaims peace,
who brings glad tidings [euaggelizo] of good things,
who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Your watchmen shall lift up their voices,
with their voices they shall sing together;
for they shall see eye to eye
when the Lord brings back Zion.
Break forth into joy, sing together,
you waste places of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has made bare His holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.” (Is. 52:1, 2, 4-10)

So the gospel was the promise that the glory of the Lord would be revealed in that He would come with power to gather and shepherd His flock. We can sum this up by describing the gospel with the proclamation that “Our God reigns!” (Is. 52:7). It refers to the time when God would return to His people in order to redeem them from exile and reign as King. But this new exodus would include more than just the Jews, for “all the ends of the earth” would see “the salvation of God.” Isaiah made this point several times. The Servant by whom all of this was to take place would also be a light and a covenant to the nations (Is. 42:5-7; 49:5, 6). The foreigner and even the eunuch (who was excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, Deut. 23:1) would be joined to the Lord and would receive an everlasting name (Is. 56:3-6), because “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Is. 56:7). The Redeemer would come to Zion (Is. 59:15-21) and draw the gentiles to the city of God.

Arise, shine;
for your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and deep darkness the people;
but the Lord will arise over you,
and His glory will be seen upon you.
The gentiles shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see:
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.
Then you shall see and become radiant,
and your heart shall swell with joy;
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the gentiles shall come to you.
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come;
they shall bring gold and incense,
and they shall proclaim the praises [euaggelizo] of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall ascend with acceptance on My altar,
and I will glorify the house of My glory.” (Is. 60:1-7)


If this was to be Israel’s salvation and if it was to be a return from exile and a release from captivity (Is. 61:1), then there must have been an enemy that would have to be defeated first. And so this proclamation of God’s kingly return to His people included descriptions of judgment on the old tyrant kings. The nations were lightweights compared to Yahweh and He would “take them away like stubble” (Is. 40:15-24). This meant Babylon in particular. Just before describing the gospel, Isaiah recorded that the Southern Kingdom would be defeated and plundered by Babylon (Is. 39:5-7). So it is only fitting that the gospel proclamation would announce judgment on this particular enemy (Is. 47). The new King would kill the old one and take his kingdom. He would restore His people and reign over them by trampling their oppressors in the winepress of His wrath (Is. 63:1-6). Thus, the promised gospel would be liberty for the one (Is. 61:1) and vengeance for the other (Is 61:2)

All of the above is from The Gospel: The Return of the King.  It is well worth reading in full.

4 thoughts on “What am I thinking forgetting the Gospel in the OT? Horton Takes Manhattan 2.5

  1. Pingback: Mark Horne » Blog Archive » Realizing I’ve heard that before: Horton Takes Manhattan 1.5

  2. Alicia

    Thanks so much for this series. BTW, what about the “proto-euangelion” in Gen. 3? “There shall be war between you [the serpent] and the woman, between your offspring and hers; and he [He?] shall strike your head, and you shall strike his heel.”

    Sounds like good news of victory over an enemy to me.

    Reply

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