March 28: Messianic Sonship
♫ Music:
Day 27 - Monday, March 28
Title: MESSIANIC SONSHIP
Scripture: Psalm 2:1-3, 7-9
Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed,saying,
“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
“I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
Poetry:
The Coming
by R.S. Thomas
And God held in his hand
A small globe. Look he said.
The son looked. Far off,
As through water, he saw
A scorched land of fierce
Colour. The light burned
There; crusted buildings
Cast their shadows: a bright
Serpent, a river
Uncoiled itself, radiant
With slime.
On a bare
Hill a bare tree saddened
The sky. Many People
Held out their thin arms
To it, as though waiting
For a vanished April
To return to its crossed
Boughs. The son watched
Them. Let me go there, he said.
MESSIANIC SONSHIP
The overall theme for today’s devotion is to surrender. With arms lifted high in a posture of humility and worship give up your pride, your rights, and your sinful ways to the Anointed One. Allow God to be on the throne of your life today in every decision you make.
King David, the author of Psalm 2 (Acts 4:25-26), emphasized this theme in the final verse which says that one can defy God and perish or surrender to Him and be blessed (Ps. 2:12). There are similarities throughout the Bible with both David and Jesus. David knew the plot of a king who sought to destroy him before he could take the throne. Likewise, Jesus’ life was threatened by King Herod who sought to kill all boys two and younger in an effort to thwart God’s plan for a Savior (Mt 2: 16).
They were both anointed Kings. The anointing was done to sanctify and provide them with the necessary powers for the administration of their role. Jesus to the Messianic office and David to the throne of Israel (Sam. 16:13). In Psalm 2:1, King David recognized that all the schemes of evil men are futile because God’s authority is above all and His plans will not be thwarted. His ultimate plan is for Jesus to reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Begotten One (vs. 7) is the Lord’s Anointed who holds the nations as His inheritance (vs 8). Rev. 11:15 says, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Jesus will reign with us forever in heaven because He chose us before the foundation of the world. I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
The darkness represented in the poem The Coming by R.S. Thomas, illustrates a war-torn world with destruction, poverty, and despair. The suffering of mankind is evidenced by the scorched land with fierce color resembling fire and drought and the serpent becoming a river. A river should be where one would hope to find refuge from the flames and provide a cool drink of water to quench one’s thirst. Instead the evil one disguises himself as a “radiant” and “bright”––being coiled in the river that once held life and refreshment. This illustrates how the devil tricks us into believing something is good when in fact it is bad or even harmful for us. Thomas illustrates Christ’s unconditional love for mankind as the Begotten Son gazes upon the depravity of man “As through water” and replies to His Father, “Let me go there.” Jesus wants to enter into the suffering of mankind because He is the only one who can appease the wrath of God by His perfect sacrifice on the cross. “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5). Thomas foreshadows Jesus’ sacrifice by saying, “On a bare hill a bare tree saddened the sky.”
The French artist Augustin Frison-Roch paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus holding his hands in a sign of humility to the will of the Father and acknowledgement of his mission. In an act of surrender and obedience, recognizing His fate on the cross, Jesus kneels and prays on the Mount of Olives. “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but yours be done. Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him” (Luke 22:42-43). Notice in today’s painting, there is an angelic being on the left with a candlestick ministering to Jesus. Today Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father and is interceding on our behalf (Rom. 8:34). He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:8). In fact, He went to prepare a place for his Beloved (John 14:3). That’s you and me.
Prayer
Heavenly Father you are the Most High God. You are the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and yet you know me so intimately. I humbly ask you to forgive my sins and make me more like you. Breathe new life into my soul and refresh me with the power of the Holy Spirit so I can intercede for others, perform miracles of healing and be transformed into the image of your Son. Make me more like you each and every day. Take away any pride that sets itself up against you in any act of defiance. I am a fool to oppose you in any way in my life. I surrender today to your will. Thank you for your unconditional love that saved me and raised me out of the pit of despair. You are the Kings of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You reign forever and ever. I praise your Holy name.
In the precious name of Jesus,
Amen.
Tammy Henderson, M,N, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Baptism of Christ
Augustin Frison-Roche
2019–2021
Oil on wood panel
Altarpiece of the Cathedral Saint Vincent
St. Malo, Brittany, France
The work of French artist Augustin Frison-Roche is above all poetic. His paintings evoke and appeal to our collective imagination of origins and memories. He utilizes overlays of intricate patterns, texture, and motifs from history and literature on his canvases to create complex, rich tapestries of meaning and beauty. He often paints hidden forms—notice the angel concealed in the bushes of this painting. The work on the Baptism of Christ was begun in 2019, as part of a project for the Cathedral Saint Vincent in St. Malo, France, and was finished in 2021. John the Baptist gently pours water over Christ, who holds his hands in a sign of humility to the will of the Father as he acknowledges the beginning of his earthly ministry.
About the Artist:
Augustin Frison-Roche (b. 1987) is a French painter and sculptor known for his lyrical paintings. After attending university, he studied with sacred French painter Francois Peltier. During the period of 2009–2012, the mastery of the Flemish technique of glaze, pigments, reflection on art, and knowledge of art history became the main focus of his education. Since 2012, Frison-Roche has produced several ecclesiastical commissions and personal exhibitions. In recent years, he has turned to stone sculpture and embarked on the design and production of liturgical furniture. He has also oriented his painting work towards larger formats that he wishes to use for other spaces including public spaces, theater sets, etc. His paintings are in the private collections of six countries including France, England, Italy, Belgium, Canada, and Djibouti.
https://www.facebook.com/Peintures.Sculptures.Augustin.FrisonRoche/?tn-str=k*F
http://www.frison-roche.fr/realisations/retables/
About the Music:
“Psalm 2 - Word for Word” from the album Psalms: Word for Word (Vol. 1)
Lyrics (ESV Translation):
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.” (x4)
I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.” (x2)
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (2x)
About the Performer/Composer:
Zac Fitzsimmons is a Christian worship leader and songwriter. In 2016 he began to write melodies and music to the words of the Psalms from the Bible word-for-word. Fitzsimmons found that the process has helped him to memorize and meditate on the Psalms in a deeper way than he’d ever experienced before. Through his music he hopes to help others discover the depths of God's love and character and learn to worship God through the gift of music. He also enjoys training other worship leaders to lead others in biblical, Spirit-led worship.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacfitzsimmons
https://www.pastemagazine.com/noisetrade/music/zacfitzsimmons/psalms-word-for-word-volume-1
https://www.psalmsongswordforword.com/psalm-songs
About the Poet:
R. S. Thomas (1913–2000) was a Welsh poet and Anglican priest who was noted for his nationalism and spirituality. Almost all of Thomas' work concerns the Welsh landscape and Welsh people, and carries both political and spiritual subtext. His early works focus on the personal stories of his parishioners, the farm laborers, and working men and their wives. His poetry challenged the romantic view of the traditional pastoral poem with harsh and vivid descriptions of rural existence. This direct view of "country life" came as a challenge to many English writers writing on similar subjects. Fearing that poetry was becoming a dying art, inaccessible to those who most needed it, Thomas “...attempted to make spiritually minded poems relevant…to a science-minded, post-industrial world," in order to represent that world both in form and in content even as he rejected its machinations and destruction of the traditional Welsh country lifestyle.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/r-s-thomas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._S._Thomas
About the Devotion Author:
Tammy Henderson
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Biola University
Tammy Henderson’s clinical interests include evidence-based research, infection prevention, and the value of suffering and spiritual care at the bedside. Her current research interests include burn support and code white preparedness. Her teaching focuses on medical surgical, pediatric, critical care nursing, and preceptor/leadership. She teaches in the B.S.N. program. Her classes this year include Medical Surgical Theory and Clinical for Pediatric and Advanced Medical Surgical. She utilizes current research in her teaching to include best practices for infection prevention, hand hygiene, and hospital-related infections. She integrates her faith in the clinical setting and with her students and teaches them the importance of spiritual care, pain, and suffering in relation to God's Word.