Study #4: BET
Previous lesson we saw how BET has a deeper meaning than a mere tent, house, palace or Temple. The concept of “house” even transcends hearth and home, the warmth and security of a communal family under one roof to mean the ultimate household of faith – a family of true worshippers in spirit and truth as on a Sabbath Day.
Today we shall see how the Hebraic roots of the one letter BET sprout into the New Testament as well.
Let’s study the example of the Davidic Covenant.
1. In 2 Samuel 7: 11-16, God said He will establish a house, household or Temple from the line of King David forever.
2. In Galatians 3:16 Paul identifies the seed of David (descendant) as Jesus.
His line from his earthly father Joseph can be traced to King David ( Matthew 1:6-16 ) while Mary’s line too is from King David’s lineage ( Luke 3:23-31 ).
73 years after Jesus’ death, all genealogical records were destroyed by the Romans when they burnt down the Second Temple. Thus the tantalising question remains: is Jesus the only claimant to be the true “Son of David” with a Messianic title and family credentials to match?
But what did Jesus Himself say of His Messiahship?
1. Jesus called Himself the TEMPLE of God ( John 2:19-21 ).
2. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 that we know that “if the earthly TENT we live in is destroyed, we have a BUILDING from God, a HOUSE not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this TENT we groan, longing to be clothed with our HEAVENLY DWELLING…”.
3. I Peter 2:4-5 exhorts us to come to Jesus who is ” a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a SPIRITUAL HOUSE…”.
4. Finally in Ephesians 2:9 -22 Paul calls Jesus the “chief cornerstone”…”In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a DWELLING PLACE for God”.
Father God, understanding the roots of BET enables us to see the big picture of the New Testament metaphors of house, building, Temple and living stones. For BET is not a building but the Person of Christ who is the very foundation of our lives, the Living Word of God.
