A consideration of the biblical theme, Kingdom of God, showing the Essay

A consideration of the biblical theme, Kingdom of God, showing the development of meaning in the Old and New Testaments - Essay Example The ‘Kingdom of God’ is a fundamental theme which runs from Genesis to Revelation. In its earliest expression there are strong similarities to the views of ‘kingship’ and ‘kingdom’ which were current among nations during the period of the OT, but from the outset it was clear that this was understood in terms of a universal and eternal divine authority. This overriding principle becomes increasingly dominant in the Biblical perspective until it comes to reality in the life and work of Jesus Christ. The actual phrase ‘kingdom of God’ does not occur in the OT. But from the outset the idea of God as absolute monarch and his kingly rule are pervasive in Scripture.†(Cf.New Dictionary of Theology). The concept of â€Å"Kingdom† is not current in the democratic mindset of our modern world. Ladd points out that in western idiom a kingdom is primarily seen as a realm over which a king exercises his authority. He quotes a modern dictionary definition: â€Å"A state or monarchy the head of which is a king, Dominion, realm†, and adds that while a secondary meaning of â€Å"kingdom,† relates to the people belonging to a given realm. He does not see either of these definitions as being accurate, as they tend to â€Å"lead astray from a correct understanding of the Biblical truth.† Much better, he says, is an ‘archaic’ definition in Webster’s dictionary, ‘The rank, quality, state or attributes of a king; royal authority, dominion, monarchy; kingship.† (Ibid). Greek and Hebrew scholars that the primary meaning of the Hebrew word â€Å"malkuth† in the Old Testament and the Greek word â€Å"basilieia† in the New Testament is of the rank, authority, and sovereignty exercised by a king. As Ladd says, â€Å"When the word refers to God’s Kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty, and not to any realm in which it is exercised. (20) Kittel underlines this; â€Å"†¦ the expression denotes the fact that God is king, i.e. it describes His kingly being or kingship.† Edersheim adds that the rule of heaven and the kingship of God was the â€Å"very substance of the Old Testament; the object of the calling and mission of Israel; the meaning of all its ordinances whether civil or religious; the underlying idea of all its institutions.† The Old Testament, he says, could not be understood without this.† (265) It was common that the rule of a king would be established by the terms of a co venant, in which two parties are bound together in a solemn, unbreakable oath. There are a series of covenants in the Bible, the terms of which were always determined by God. The earliest books of the Old Testament outline these covenants, showing the development of the nation that was to be the primary realm of his sovereignty on earth. God chose a series of patriarchs to found this nation; giving specific promises, and calling for their trust and obedience. For several centuries these people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, lived in and are eventually become enslaved in Egypt. After 430 years, â€Å"God commissioned Moses, with Aaron as his mouthpiece , to lead out the Hebrew slaves, tribal descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from Egypt, to become a nation in Palestine, the land of promise (Exodus 3:4)† (New Bible Dictionary). At Mount Sinai, god established a covenant with the Israelites, grounding His requirements (the laws which were to function as the constitution for a theocratic kingdom in which God would be the sole ruler) on what He had already done for them, and giving promises of great blessings which would accrue if they were obedient to the terms of the covenant. Closely coupled to the idea of God’s absolute sovereignty is the fact of his holiness. â€Å"God is the king of His covenant people, Israel. In a particular sense, not true of any other nation. †¦