For four years I was privileged to live in the heart of one of America’s most historic cities: Philadelphia. It is home to the country’s first zoo, hospital, public library, mint, and bank. As I often commuted by places like Independence Hall or the Liberty Bell, I could not easily forget that I was living in the birthplace of democratic freedom. Indeed, for Americans it is hard to think about Philadelphia without thinking about both the civic rights we cherish and the national treasures we admire (and, of course, pretzels, Tasty Cakes, and cheesesteaks). Similarly, Israelites could not think of the city of Jerusalem without associating it with the center of God’s work in the world, the capital of his heavenly kingdom on earth. But just as Philadelphia was at one point little more than an uninhabited swath of forest, Jerusalem was not always the theocratic hub for God’s people.
The riveting account of how it becomes the capital of God’s kingdom is in 2 Samuel 5:6–9—just a small paragraph, but it is freighted with theological significance. In his first move as the newly crowned king of Israel, David determines to capture the city of Jerusalem, which up to this point has been occupied by a Canaanite people called the Jebusites. Confident in their strategic position and defenses, the Jebusites hurl insults at David: “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off” (v. 6). David is not intimidated. Rather, through some tactical cunning, he launches an invasion of Jerusalem, gains a decisive victory, and renames it the city of David. The Jebusites have been put in their place—which is to say, they have been put out of their place.
This is not the first time we read about the Jebusites in the Bible. The first time, in fact, is in the very final verse of one of the most crucial chapters of the Old Covenant, Genesis 15. Genesis 15 records how God covenants with Abram as part of the unfolding fulfillment of the earlier promise declared in Genesis 3:15. Known sometimes as the protoevangelium (the “first gospel”), Genesis 3:15 is God’s promise that Satan will lose and God’s people will win—that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. What is at first given in black-and-white sketch form is now further filled out and colored in through the covenant of Genesis 15. Here we learn that the seed of the woman will include a nation, a nation so numerous that it will exceed the sand on the seashore. Further, to this nation God promises a place: a special piece of land where God will once again be able to dwell with his precious people, something that had been cruelly interrupted by the Serpent in Eden. this is what he says to Abraham:
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (Gen 15:18–21)
Admittedly, the foreign and awkward names can make our eyes glaze over, but they are anything but unimportant. We learn here that the conquest of these people and their land was a crucial step in realizing the salvific promise of defeating Satan. This is part of the initial gospel proclamation.
The next time we run into the Jebusites, though, it is not good news. Joshua, during his conquest of the promised land, could not get them to leave the city. “But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out, so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day” (Josh 15:63). Fast-forward to 2 Samuel and David’s coronation and this will finally be dealt with. David knows that it is not right for the Jebusites to reside in a land that was promised to Israel. Even though previous attempts had been unsuccessful, David’s faith in the Lord’s promise spurs him to victory. And it is in light of 2 Samuel 5 that those three words in Genesis 15, that we might have before passed over without much thought, come to life: and the Jebusites.
In the film industry, some things inevitably end up “on the cutting room floor”—a reference to the old school way of splicing film together. Although scenes are scripted by screenwriters, memorized and performed by actors, and captured by cinematographers, with a simple snip, the editor can bring all that work to naught. God’s promises are never like that. None of his words ever fall to the ground (1 Sam 3:19). Even three words at the end of a long list of names—three words we probably have never given much thought to—even these words and the promise they contain are preserved perfectly through the faithful and sovereign providence of the Lord.
What do we learn here? We learn something of the immutable character of God. When he makes a promise, he keeps it—even if it takes a long time from our perspective for him to do so. Through David, a promise made some eight hundred years earlier is now fulfilled. Dale Ralph Davis says that God’s “promises are not stamped with an expiration date in small print. All of which should make a difference in the way waiting Christians read their Bibles and look to their future.”[1] Because God keeps these three little words in Genesis 15:21, we can trust our Savior when he declares three other words on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). What difference does it make that Jesus said them two thousand years ago? They are as sure today as they were when they were first uttered, since when God says something, it is as good as done. If he says we will never be cast out, we never will be cast out. If he says we will be forgiven, we will be forgiven. If he says our tears will be wiped away, they will be wiped away. Let us never lack trust in a God like this! But when we feel doubts creeping in, when we feel our faith begin to falter, we would do well to bolster our souls with these words: and the Jebusites.
©Jonathan Landry Cruse. All Rights Reserved.
- Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel (Fearn, Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2002), 64.
RESOURCES
- Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
- Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play
- The Heidelblog Resource Page
- Heidelmedia Resources
- The Ecumenical Creeds
- The Reformed Confessions
- The Heidelberg Catechism
- Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
- Why I Am A Christian
- What Must A Christian Believe?
- Heidelblog Contributors
- Why You Cannot Earn Grace
- The Dispensationalists Are Wrong: We Should Pray The Lord’s Prayer Now
- Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to
Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Jonathan Landry Cruse
Jonathan Landry Cruse pastors Community Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Kalamazoo, MI, where he lives with his wife and children. He also serves as an editor for Modern Reformation and is the author of several books, including What Happens When We Worship (RHB, 2020), The Character of Christ (Banner of Truth, 2023), and Church Membership (P&R, 2024).
More by Jonathan Landry Cruse ›
I love writing like this that looks at big picture topics in scripture. What is the technical name for writing that follows a topic through multiple books like this? Aside from this blog, where can I get more of stuff like this, where important topical connections are made across books of the Bible? Is there any book or commentary or other resource that helps the average believer to read the Bible and see the overall history of redemption unfolding?
Would it be appropriate to preach often just as you have written here, or is it more typical to walk through a book of the Bible? Ever since I saw American Gospel and heard the description of how preaching should point to Christ and the overall narrative of redemption, I have been hungry for preaching like this, but I feel that it is difficult to find, even while attending Reformed churches.
Thank you for your answers,
Matt
What you are describing is basically a summary of what we usually call Biblical Theology (not because it’s more biblical than, say, systematic theology; that’s just the name we give it). This post is a good example of BT in action. I wouldn’t make such a sharp distinction between preaching consecutively through books/large chunks of Scripture and preaching that engages in BT. If I was preaching through 2 Samuel consecutively, I would want to make these connections when I came to this text. And on many occasions, I may not include an explicit examination of all the BT connections in my sermon, but they will still play a significant role in my understanding of the passage and its applications (the same is true for systematic theology–it’s always informing my sermons, but rarely do I highlight every doctrine that touches on the passage at hand, since I only have so much time).
Thanks! Great answer and much appreciated.
Who do you like for an introduction to biblical theology? I have some Goldsworthy on my shelf if that would be a good thing to bump up in my reading list.
A good word — thank you!