Reading 1 – 1Sa 16:11

“So he [Samuel] asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered, ‘but he is tending the sheep’ ” (1Sa 16:11).

Even before his name is revealed, David is described as a shepherd!

“Unlike many occupations of the twentieth century, that of being a shepherd in the chosen land gave scope for the mind which wished to worship God and to keep itself unsullied by the world without. Even so, the will of God brought David from the pastoral peace of the sheepfold into the world of men. This was essential for that development of character which has endeared David to generations of followers of the call of God. It is impossible for most of us to spend our days in the hills around some quiet village. Our lot is cast in meeting people and situations, in making the daily choice between this world and the next, in living a whole life in a fragmented world. The fact that David passed from quiet pastures and still waters into the tumult of wars and fightings has rendered him the companion of all of us” (Harry Tennant, “The Man David” 24).

Like Moses, David was another shepherd hidden in the wilderness, unknown to the public eye, until the time for his work to begin.

Reading 2 – Isa 60:5

“The wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come” (Isa 60:5).

“All the earlier sanctuaries of the Lord were made of Gentile materials. Israel plundered the Egyptians, and from their riches fashioned the tabernacle. David dedicated all the gains of his long series of Gentile wars to the temple which Solomon built. The second temple, built after the Captivity, had the practical encouragement of Cyrus and Darius Hystaspes. The temple built in the time of Jesus was financed by Herod the Great, an Edomite. So it is fitting that in the coming era God will be glorified by the votive offerings of Gentiles (cp Jer 33:9; Deu 33:19)” (Harry Whittaker, “Isaiah” 520).

Reading 3 – Mat 5

“A fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished one unacquainted with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out and saying, ‘Here is your human race.’ For the exact opposite of the virtues in the Beatitudes are the very qualities which distinguish human life and conduct. In the world of men we find nothing approaching the virtues of which Jesus spoke in the opening words of the famous Sermon on the Mount. Instead of poverty of spirit we find the rankest kind of pride; instead of mourners we find pleasure seekers; instead of meekness, arrogance; instead of hunger after righteousness we hear men saying, ‘I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing’; instead of mercy we find cruelty; instead of purity of heart, corrupt imaginings; instead of peacemakers we find men quarrelsome and resentful; instead of rejoicing in mistreatment we find them fighting back with every weapon at their command.

“Of this kind of moral stuff civilized society is composed. The atmosphere is charged with it; we breathe it with every breath and drink it with our mother’s milk. Culture and education refine these things slightly but leave them basically untouched. A whole world of literature has been created to justify this kind of life as the only norm alone. And this is the more to be wondered at seeing that these are the evils which make life the bitter struggle it is for all of us. All our heartaches and a great many of our physical ills spring directly out of our sins. Pride, arrogance, resentfulness, evil imaginings, malice, greed: these are the sources of more human pain than all the diseases that ever afflicted mortal flesh. Into a world like this the sound of Jesus’ words comes wonderful and strange, a visitation from above. It is well that he spoke, for no one else could have done it as well; and it is good that we listen. His words are the essence of truth.

“The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. They are ‘poor in spirit.’ They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem; that is what the word ‘poor’ as Christ used it actually means. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. ‘Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Let me exhort you to take this seriously. It is not to be understood as mere Bible teaching to be stored away in the mind along with an inert mass of other doctrines. It is a marker on the road to greener pastures, a path chiseled against the steep sides of the mount of God. We dare not try to bypass it if we would follow on in this holy pursuit. We must ascend a step at a time. If we refuse one step we bring our progress to an end” (AW Tozer).

Reading 1 – 2Sa 2:8-10

“Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul…” —

(Ish-bosheth is only a weak puppet; Abner is the real power) —

“…and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David” (2Sa 2:8-10).

Ish-Bosheth is a Hebrew name meaning “man of shame.” Comparison of several Old Testament passages indicates that this man was referred to under several names. In 1Sa 14:49 the name is probably Ishvi (ASV) or Ishui (KJV), unless this is another name for Abinadab (1Sa 31:2). In 2Sa 2:8 the name is Ishbosheth. In 1Ch 8:33 it is Esh-baal, a compound which was probably the original name. Some think the name was intended to exalt Yahweh as Lord (or ‘baal’), but was changed to Ishbosheth (as apparently happened with “Jerubbaal” of Jdg 6:32, altered to Jerub-Besheth of 2Sa 11:21) when the story of his shameful murder was related (2Sa 4:1-12), in order to make it refer prophetically to the manner of his death.

Reading 2 – Jer 8:12

“Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the LORD” (Jer 8:12).

“When they are punished” is, literally, “in the time of their visitation” (AV). “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming [or ‘visitation’] to you” (Luk 19:42-44). Compare also Jer 6:6 — the city is “visited” — as well as Jer 10:15; 11:23.

The temple was a hypocritical symbol, and the people were robbers and idolaters. As in Christ’s day, the temple was incurably infected with the “leprosy” of sin and uncleanness. And, after priestly “visitations” showed no improvement, the Law of Moses required that the leprous house be taken down and its stones carried forth (Lev 14:45; cp John 2:17).

Reading 3 – Mat 19:3-9

“Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?’ ‘Haven’t you read,’ he replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate'” (Mat 19:3-6).

God’s purpose was clearly that man and woman joined together in marriage should be joined together for life. Only the death of one of the parties should terminate the bond. It is easy to see various reasons for this. The very method of Eve’s formation (“bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh”) laid the basis for this indissolubility; the mental and moral qualities of man call for it; and the purposes of marriage in the increase and nurture of the race demand it.

It is plain that estrangements and separations between husbands and wives, whenever and wherever they exist, are incompatible with the high standard of conduct which the Bible sets forth. In the light of this exalted teaching, it is considered that where estrangement is threatened between husband and wife it is a Christian duty to seek patiently and actively a renewal or resumption of normal relationship.

Not only is this the duty of husband to wife and wife to husband, but also of those who can offer wise counsel with patient understanding. Where estrangement followed by separation has already happened, and while reunion is still a possibility, the pursuit of divorce and remarriage is a definite negation of the teaching of the Lord — because the successful pursuit of such a “solution” removes forever the possibility of reconciliation. These considerations apply with added force where there are children to consider.

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to commit adultery, and anyone who marries a woman so divorced commits adultery” (Mat 5:31,32).

” ‘Why then,’ they asked, ‘did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?’ Jesus replied, ‘Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery'” (Mat 19:7-9).

Divorce obtained by a brother or sister on any ground except that allowed by Jesus is a sin which cannot be overlooked. Nevertheless, the ecclesia should not exclude the possibility of true repentance after the fact.

Furthermore, while remarriage by a divorced person, or marriage with a divorced person, are contrary to the highest ideals as expressed by Christ, it is possible to envision circumstances in which it would be unjust for an ecclesia to lay down a course of action without discrimination.

In dealing with all who come short of the divine ideal, our aim should be, not only to admonish and rebuke, but also to restore. While trying to maintain to the fullest the high standards of Christ’s teaching, we must beware of slipping unconsciously into an attitude toward offenders which the Lord would condemn. To achieve the right balance in these matters in the spirit of our Lord’s teaching, calls for prayerful and persistent effort and humility of mind.

Reading 1 – 1Sa 25

Commenting on the example of Abigail — the faithful wife of the wicked Nabal — Jane Roberts writes:

“It sometimes happens that the husband is overbearing, and forgets the conditions which engender a loving and ready service on the part of his wife. He neglects the working out of his pattern, and takes to admonishing his wife about some flaw in her attitude, instead of acting the part that would remove the flaw. Paul nowhere enjoins upon the husband to assert his headship over his wife; but exhorts him to meet his wife’s loving and spontaneous subjection by following the example of Christ, with the great love with which he loved the ecclesia. However, to follow this, would lead me out of my province. I must leave him to think it up for himself, hoping he may, as the result, approve the more excellent way. I direct my thoughts and counsel to the sister-wife who finds herself mated with such a one. Her task will be a difficult one, but let her not quail before it. Let her by all means endeavour to fulfil in a becoming manner the duties and responsibilities of her position. Let the dignity and patience of her meek and quiet spirit, be the means of heaping coals of fire upon the head of her faulty companion, if such she have. Let her remember that a ‘soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger’ [Pro 15:1]. If she has a Nabal to deal with, she can at least, like Abigail of old, show herself to be a woman of good understanding; and her wisdom may, like her, avert much evil that would otherwise come upon her household.”

Reading 2 – Jer 2

“The voice of the prophet Jeremiah commences a forty year ministry leading to the dissolution of the Kingdom of Judah. He gives a review of Israel’s sins, showing that Yahweh still loves His people, but expects that the filial love be reflected to Him. Through the prophet, Yahweh expostulates on their ungrateful return for past goodness, and shows that their wickedness has resulted in calamity. The voice concludes with an appeal to them to return.

“This chapter may be outlined:

Israel’s early promise: vv 1-4. Yahweh kept His contract despite provocation: vv 5-8. The enormity of Israel’s conduct once more stressed: vv 9-13. Israel suffers because it turned from Yahweh: vv 14-19. The true character of the nation despite Josiah’s reformation: vv 20-30. Israel will suffer: vv 31-35. Israel in heart turned to Egypt: vv 36,37.

“It must have been a sad experience for the young prophet, brought to witness for the righteousness of his God, and seeing about him the failure of the ecclesia. The nation rejoiced in its high and holy privilege, and boasted in its attendance at the temple in Jerusalem, but did little to manifest divine qualities in daily life. They were barren, thankless soil, returning nothing for Yahweh’s glory. Instead they looked to their southern neighbour [Egypt] for support and help, putting confidence in the power of the flesh. Yet, in spite of the darkness of their spiritual condition, the voice of Jeremiah brought a measure of encouragement to the faithful remnant that were looking for a redeemer. So he continues to witness at the end of the age — as must those of the Brotherhood today as we wait the advent of the Great Judge” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – Mat 13:12

“Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Mat 13:12).

The parable — that strange mixture of natural and spiritual, simple and complex — was a test to the hearers. How would they react? Would they joyfully come to the light, or would they turn away for fear of what that light would reveal? Like the pillar of cloud and fire (Exo 14:20), the same parable may be darkness to the “Egyptian” but light to the “Israelite”. Like the shell or husk, the parable may preserve the precious kernel of truth FOR the earnest seeker, and protect it FROM the lazy and proud and careless!

Reading 1 – 2Sa 7:16

The LORD God’s promise to David:

“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me [according to some Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint; but most Hebrew manuscripts have ‘you’!]; your throne will be established forever” (2Sa 7:16).

In this covenant is revealed the selection of David’s house as the family through whom the Messiah was to come. Note the development of the covenant:

Adamic covenant: Gen 3:15. Abrahamic covenant: Gen 13:14-18. Immortal seed of Abraham will inherit the land of Palestine. Jacob’s prophecy: Gen 49:8-10. Selection of the tribe of Judah as the royal tribe. Davidic covenant: 2 Sa 7:12-16. Selection of the family of David as ancestors of the Messiah. Gabriel’s visit to Mary: Luke 1:26-35. Selection of the virgin to bear the Son of God.

David’s kingdom, of Israel, is also called also the Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of the Lord: 2Ch 13:8; 1Ch 28:5.

The key points of the promise to David are:

David’s throne will be eternal (Psa 89:34-36; Isa 9:6,7; 55:1-3). It will be established through a natural descendant of David (v 12; Ps 132:11; Jer 33:17-21; Isa 11:1-5; Acts 2:30,31; 13:22,23; Luk 1:30-34)… …Who would also be the Son of God (v 14; Psa 89:26,27; Heb 1:5; Luke 1:32). After David had died (vv 12,19; Act 2:29)… …But in his presence (AV has “before you”, instead of “before me”): Isa 24:23; Act 15:16; Jer 30:9-11; 2Sa 23:5; Isa 9:6,7; Luk 1:32,33.

Reading 2 – Jer 12:1-5

Jeremiah complains to God:

“You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts” (Jer 12:1,2).

“It was Job’s problem over again, in almost as acute a form, for, like Job, Jeremiah could urge his own blamelessness…” (HA Whittaker, “Jeremiah” 49).

“Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you” (v 3).

*****

Beginning in v 5, God answers Jeremiah. “Nevertheless in the LORD’s response there was but cold comfort at present for this solitary sensitive witness for truth…” (Ibid).

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (v 5).

” ‘Your experiences hitherto are but mild compared with what is to come; this is but an apprenticeship to fit you greater rigour and higher endeavour’… Poor Jeremiah! Is there no crumb of comfort for your soul? Hold fast to your confidence in the righteous judgments of Jehovah, and stay yourself on His promise of a day when ‘a King shall reign in righteousness’; there is naught else in this bitter evil present” (Ibid 50).

Reading 3 – Mat 23:29-31

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets” (Mat 23:29-31).

“How? Why? Might not the Pharisees have replied that, by honoring their remains and their memory, they condemned their murderers? The greatest sin of Israel and of the world was and is, apostasy from the true God and His worship by idolatry; and the most prevalent mode of this apostasy is sacrilegious reverence for dead men’s tombs and bones… Now, it was for rebuking this and other kinds of idolatry, that ‘the fathers killed the prophets’; and those who built their tombs would, in like manner, kill anyone who condemned their idolatrous reverence for these very sepulchers. Thus the Pharisees, by the very act of building those tombs of the prophets, and ‘honoring’ them as they did, showed plainly that they were activated by the same spirit that led their fathers to kill them; and, to make this matter self-evident, they very soon proceeded to crucify the Lord of the prophets because of his faithful rebukes. Nor has this spirit changed in the least during the subsequent eighteen hundred years. Now, here, in Jerusalem, should the Savior reappear, and condemn with the same severity our modern Pharisees, they would kill him upon his own reputed tomb. I say this not with a faltering perhaps, but with a painful certainty. Alas! how many thousands of God’s people have been slaughtered because of their earnest and steadfast protest against pilgrimages, idolatrous worship of saints, tombs, bones, images, and pictures! And whenever I see people particularly zealous in building, repairing, or serving those shrines, I know them to be the ones who allow the deeds of those who killed the prophets, and who would do the same under like circumstances” (WM Thomson, “The Land and the Book” 639,640).

Do we “build up” the “tombs” of our Christadelphian “prophets”? If so, is there any danger in doing so?

Are dead “prophets” less threatening than living ones? Seems to me that dead “prophets” (and I use the term loosely here — whether referring to Isaiah and Jeremiah, or John Thomas and Robert Roberts) can be shut up in books, closed between the covers, and “controlled”… whereas living “prophets” go walking around sticking their noses into our business when we least like it, encouraging us more directly by word or deed to DO something when we would rather do nothing, and generally kicking us out of our “comfort zones”. They can’t be as easily “shut up” or “put on a shelf”. Maybe that’s why we don’t care for the living “prophets”. Maybe that’s why we sometimes hasten their demise! Jesus also said, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor” (Mar 6:4).

Reading 1 – 1Sa 17

The story of David’s victory over the Philistine giant Goliath is an enacted parable of the promise of Gen 3:15 (the seed of the woman crushing the head, and power, of the serpent). It is also a powerful and provocative picture of our redemption.

David’s defeat of Goliath typifies the work of Christ in two different, though related, aspects:

Christ’s moral victory over the power of sin in himself, and Christ’s coming victory over sin in its military and political forms.

It was necessary that Christ first conquer the “world” in himself, by subduing the lusts of the flesh, so that he might be qualified to conquer the nations and rule over them. Both these victories — the one past, the other yet future — are beautifully outlined in the stirring drama of 1Sa 17. In this epic encounter between faith and force, Holy Spirit and human nature, the heavenly and the earthly, we see all the redemptive purpose of Almighty God, unfolding from Eden onward.

“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war” (1Sa 17:1). The name “Philistine” has found a place in the English language as a common noun, describing those who are ignorant and uncultured, who are “of the earth, and earthy” (1Co 15:47), without the least aspiration toward higher things — in short, the natural and mortal enemy of everything that is spiritual.

The Philistines pitched their tents in “Ephes Dammim”, which signifies “the border of blood”. This site was a little south of Jerusalem and halfway over toward the Mediterranean Sea, at the border between the Israelite hills and the Philistine plain. In this story, “the border of blood” marked the crest, or high point, of human power — the point where blood, and sin, and death were to be broken and turned back. [It is also the “border of blood” in the sense that it prefigures the point where the blood of Christ, shed in obedience and dedication to God, established the boundary of righteousness and life!] “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt” (Job 38:11). As such, “Ephes Dammim” typifies Golgotha in the past, and Armageddon in the future: the sites where “sin” reaches its high-water mark and is then repulsed by the hand of God. (Linguistically, Ephes Dammim is closely related to “Aceldama” — the “field of blood”, where the traitor Judas met his fate: Acts 1:19.)

“The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them” (1Sa 17:3).

Mountains and hills in Scripture often represent powers and kingdoms (Zec 6:1; Dan 2:35-45; Joel 3:17; Isa 2:2,3; Eze 38:20), while valleys are places of sorrow, humiliation, and trial — and sometimes of destruction, such as the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:12), where the serpent-power of the Gentiles will be broken when it comes against Israel.

Like David, Jesus had to descend into “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psa 23:4) to win his victory. He had to confront the “giant” of sin in the very arena where that giant reigned supreme — the flesh of humanity. Like Israel too, Jesus had to go through his own “valley of Achor (trouble)” (Hos 2:15), and “valley of Baca (tears)” (Psa 84:5-7). On the other side of the “valley” of sufferings, he would come at last to the “glories that would follow” (1Pe 1:11) and , beyond that, to the Kingdom of God.

“Goliath” (1Sa 17:4) means “exile”; he was from “Gath”, which means “winepress”. The Philistine giant was, like Cain (Gen 4:14,16), an exile from God because of sin. He was trodden down by David, his enemy under his feet (Psa 8:6) — even as all human power and pride will be trodden down by Christ (cp 1Co 15:25,27; Eph 1:22) in the great “winepress” of the wrath of God (Isa 63:3; Rev 14:19).

Goliath’s height was six cubits (the number of man: compare the “666” in Rev 13:18). He was covered with bronze, or brass — its reddish color suggesting its connection with the flesh. He was the human equivalent of the bronze serpent of Num 21 — the power of sin destroyed by Christ on the cross (John 3:14). He was arrayed in armor and weapons of the flesh, in contrast to the spiritual arsenal of Eph 6:13-17, which was David’s trust (1Sa 17:45), as well as Christ’s.

This mighty champion of the flesh came out into the valley between the two armies, every morning and evening for forty days (v 16), to defy the God of Israel. It was a sad, shameful spectacle; not a man of Israel, not even King Saul (himself a giant: 1Sa 10:23!), nor his son Jonathan, a brave warrior, had the faith and courage to confront this blasphemer (1Sa 17:11). Goliath was too great, too powerful, and too fearsome to be overcome by any mere man, except…

*****

Now comes a break in the narrative (v 12), introducing the second antagonist in this epic struggle: David, a young man, a shepherd of Bethlehem (v 15), has been sent by his father to take provisions to his three older brothers serving in Saul’s army (vv 17-19).

David, when he comes to his brothers, is met with mockery and derision (v 28). Likewise Jesus, when he comes to save his brothers from the “giant” of sin, meets the same ridicule. How much natural man needs salvation; yet how little he realizes it. Like the drowning man, he will thrash about and generally resist the very one who has come to save him… and he must in fact be saved from himself, and his own worst instincts, as well as the external danger!

The boy David cannot understand the inaction of Saul’s men: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v 26).

The words of the shepherd boy come to the ears of the distraught king, who is so desperate that he sends for him. And the poor shepherd boy says to the mighty king: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him” (v 32).

Saul reasons according to the flesh, which is fatally obsessed with size and natural advantage: “You are not able…” (v 33).

BUT WHY NOT, IF GOD IS WITH HIM? “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). How often do we forget the strength of faith, and make the same mistake — being tentative, timid, and even afraid? How often do we forget that, if God is on our side, then nothing can stand in our way!

David wisely refuses Saul’s offer of armor. The children of the Spirit are no match for the children of the flesh IF they attempt to meet them on their own ground and do battle with their own weapons. The “seed of the woman” will always be outclassed by the “seed of the serpent” in numbers, experience, prestige, and learning. Their defense — and offense — must be in the “shield” of faith and the “sword” of the Spirit (Eph 6:16,17)!

For the battle, David chooses five smooth stones out of the brook (1Sa 17:40). (Why five? is it because Goliath has four brothers — 2Sa 21:15-21 — who were also giants?) The stone which is to bring down the mighty giant has been slowly and meticulously shaped by the flowing waters of the brook, its rough edges smoothed and rounded, until it is ready for the use at hand. This smooth stone, then, typifies Christ — prepared through the trials and tribulations of daily life and special, providentially-developed experiences for the unique work of deliverance. (In a similar figure of speech, Christ is also spoken of as the Stone rejected by the builders, who is later made the cornerstone of God’s temple: Psa 118:22.)

David’s sling would propel the stone to its destined target. The sling, made of animal skin, would have required a death for its preparation. Like the garments that God prepared to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness after their sin, the sling also typifies a sacrificial death. This sling (representing, in effect, the sacrifice of Christ) gives all the power to the stone which David hurls against the giant: it is the sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ, coupled with his spotless character, which had been tested and prepared by the Father, that destroys the Power of Sin on behalf of all mankind.

*****

Prophetically, David is also the stone cut out of the mountain of human flesh WITHOUT HANDS (that is, born of a woman but without a human father: Gen 3:15), which strikes and destroys Nebuchadnezzar’s image (Dan 2:34), and then proceeds to fill the whole earth with the glory of Yahweh.

The smiting of the “dream” image in Daniel 2 is parallel to David’s smiting of Goliath, with one significant difference: one stone strikes Goliath in the HEAD (cp Gen 3:15), which symbolizes the vital life center. The other strikes the image upon the FEET, symbolizing the time when destruction is accomplished — at the very end of the age of the Kingdom of Men. But, each time, the end result is the same: the great image of “Sin” is destroyed, and Israel is saved.

The Nebuchadnezzar image represents the accumulated history of the four great empires that collectively make up the “serpent-power” of the Kingdom of Men, which has oppressed and will oppress God’s kingdom of Israel. David’s selection of FIVE smooth stones relates his victory to the FIFTH great Kingdom: the Kingdom of God that will finally conquer all and fill the earth with His glory.

*****

“Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground” (1Sa 17:49), already dead (v 50). On this verse the old Bible commentator, Matthew Henry, quaintly writes: “See how frail and uncertain life is, even when it thinks itself best fortified, and how quickly, how easily, and with how small a matter, the passage may be opened for life to go out and death to enter.”

This is the typical fulfillment of the Edenic promise that the woman’s seed should crush the serpent’s head. The antitype stretches from the cross to the military destruction of the last vestiges of human misrule and oppression, when Christ returns.

“David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him [that is, with the stone: see v 50], he cut off his head with the sword” (v 51). And later he brought the head to Jerusalem (v 54). Jerusalem proper was at this time still under the control of the Jebusites (2Sa 5:6-10). We know that Goliath’s sword came to be kept at Nob (1Sa 21:9), an Israelite settlement of priests very near Jerusalem (cp Isa 10:32; Neh 11:32). So probably Goliath’s head was buried there too. Nob may be identified with Golgotha (‘the place of a skull’). David’s act symbolized the destruction of the power of sin, accomplished by Jesus in his life, and finalized at Golgotha just outside the walls of Jerusalem. (Ancient Hebrew tradition also suggests that Golgotha was so named because it was the burial place of Goliath’s head.)

David’s act also prefigures the cutting off of all mortal ruling power, and the transferring of all the world’s headship to Jerusalem, “the city of the great king” (Mat 5:35).

*****

“Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron” (1Sa 17:52).

David’s wonderful feat revitalizes and energizes the army of Israel, which then go on to rout the Philistines, “possessing the gates of their enemies” (cp Gen 22:17; Rev 1:18; 20:6; 1Co 15:256,55,56). Those who were powerless and afraid to face Goliath receive new faith and strength and courage upon witnessing the victory of David. Like David in this richly symbolic story, Jesus in absolute reality is the only one capable of winning the special victory over the “serpent”. Yet his victory over that “devil” — like David’s over Goliath — delivers his brethren who, previously, “all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb 2:15).

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?… The sting of death is sin… But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Co 15:55-57).

Reading 2 – Isa 61:10

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isa 61:10).

The “garments of salvation” are the garments of a priest (Exo 28:2,40; Psa 132:9,16; Isa 62:3; Exo 39:22); but they seem also to be the garments of a bridegroom — an interesting combination!

Likewise, also, the priestly garments are in Scripture likened to the uniform and armaments of a warrior (cp Eph 6:10-17).

Both these additional aspects of the priest’s service are instructive:

firstly, the priest as the mediator for God Himself, would represent God in His aspect as the Bridegroom, or Husband, of His people Israel, the Bride; and the priest, like a warrior, would wage war against sin in all its manifestations, both personal and institutional — compare 2Co 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In Psa 45, as well as the Song of Songs, and especially in Rev 19; 21, our great High Priest Jesus Christ appears in his joint “offices” as a victorious general and a loving Bridegroom. And both these (superficially quite disparate) occupations are very appropriate!

Reading 3 – Mat 6:5,6

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Mat 6:5,6).

By “room” is meant a “closet” (AV).

Jewish men wore a garment called a “talith”, “talis”, or “prayer shawl”, all the time, not just at prayer. “Talith” consists of two Hebrew words; “tal” (tent) and “ith” (little). Thus, each man had his own little tent. (The apostle Paul was a Jewish Pharisee, but also a tentmaker. Some believe that he made prayer shawls, not tents to live in. Since all Jews could not worship in the Tent of Meeting at one time, God gave to each Jew his own private sanctuary where he could meet with God. In prayer, the man would pull it up over his head, forming a tent, where he could retreat to cali upon Yahweh. It was intimate, private, and set apart from anyone else — enabling him to totally focus upon God. It was his prayer closet.

With this may be compared the words of God through Isaiah: “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by” (Isa 26:20).

Reading 1 – 1Sa 23

David saved Keilah (men of his own tribe) from the Philistines, but then found himself, with his men, in a walled town. To Saul this was a splendid opportunity to capture or kill David — it was so much easier than hunting him in the open wilderness. And the men of Keilah, mindful of what had happened at Nob (1Sa 22:18,19), were disposed to seek Saul’s friendship by betraying David to him (1Sa 23:7). Divine counsel by Urim and Thummim saved the situation (vv 9-12). David had no desire to be encircled, because the last thing he wanted was to have to fight against “the Lord’s anointed”. And so (directed by divine counsel?) he cleared out.

What helps to explain the attitude of the men of Keilah is the fact that they were Calebites, as also were the men of Ziph (1Ch 4:16,19). Their disreputable link with Nabal (see 1Sa 25) evidently counted for more than their honorable descent from the courageous and faithful Caleb. The men of Ziph likewise attempted a betrayal (1Sa 23:19); had it not been for the providence of God (1Sa 23:27) they would have succeeded.

Reading 2 – Isa 66:23

” ‘From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,’ says the LORD” (Isa 66:23).

“There is an evident counterpart to the Mosaic monthly institution in the blessed age that is coming with the advent of the saints to power. It is ‘from one new moon to another’, as well as from Sabbath to Sabbath, that all flesh appears in the temple courts to worship. It is ‘every month’ or once a month, that the Apocalyptic wood of life (the saints) yields its fruit for the healing of the nations (Rev 22:2), and it is ‘according to his months’ that the literal tree on both sides of the temple river yields its fruit ‘whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed… the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof for medicine’ (Eze 47:12). There will be no monotony in a state of things in which the whole population is roused with the advent of every new moon in the heavens to a special service of worship and praise, and a special distribution of healing and blessing. The prospect of the Kingdom is a prospect of an endless succession of joyful activities” (Robert Roberts, “Law of Moses” 198).

Reading 3 – Mat 11:4-6

“Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Mat 11:4,5).

Jesus is healing those people who previously would have been excluded from the Lord’s service (Lev 21:17-21; cp 2Sa 5:8) — those people who, if they had been animals, would have been imperfect sacrifices (Lev 22:22-24; Mal 1:8,13,14). So here is emphasized the fact that we are all imperfect specimens and imperfect “sacrifices” — and we all need the only One who is perfect to heal and cleanse us! And he can do this: through the forgiveness of sins — which he only can provide — he can present us, as a radiant bride or church, “without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (Eph 5:27).

“The good news is preached to the poor!” The last point on Jesus’ list… the poor have the gospel preached to them… is the greatest miracle of all! Because it lifts Jesus’ work out of the physical realm and puts it into the spiritual. In fact, it comprehends all the other “miracles” in one: because the gospel believed does — in the most meaningful sense — give sight to the spiritually blind, give strength to the weak, and cleanness to those who were “leprous” with sin, and hearing to the spiritually deaf. So here is Jesus’ way of lifting his work out of the ordinary (if any miracles can be ordinary!) and putting it on the higher plain: the greatest “miracle” (and such miracles are occurring all around us) is a life changed by true belief in Jesus Christ. Which means… the greatest work of God’s Holy Spirit has never ceased from among men, and never will, so long as sinners hear the Word of God and repent.

*****

“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (Mat 11:6).

Nothing that was ‘blemished’ was fit for the animal sacrifice, for it would be offensive. Jesus had outward scars, but his life was perfect, and so he could make the perfect sacrifice.

One might look at Jesus, even then, and say: “He’s not perfect”… and of course, and especially, when he might see that same man, beaten and broken, on his way to the cross, it was painfully true that “he had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa 53:2,3). To all outward signs and human expectations, Jesus couldn’t be the perfect sacrifice either… because of his physical appearance. And thus the observer — who saw only the surface of things — might be offended, and fall away (cp Isa 8:12-15).

But the heart, and the life, of Jesus was perfect — and that was what the Father saw. And that is what we must see, with the “eye of faith”, as well. And thus the promise of Jesus: “Blessed is the man who is not offended by ME!”

Even the cross itself was — as Paul said — “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Co 1:18), and the man who looked at the mere “letter of the Law” would undoubtedly be offended by the whole process: “This just CAN’T be right!”

But the man of faith sees his own sins “mirrored” in the face of the suffering Saviour, and his own deserved punishment reflected in the bruises of his Lord. And he realizes the absolute perfection that is necessary to cleanse, and forgive, and pardon him.

And so he sees the beauty of this divine arrangement, and thankfully embraces it, and joyfully proclaims, as does Isaiah himself, prophetically: “Surely he took up OUR infirmities and carried OUR sorrows… he was pierced for OUR transgressions, he was crushed for OUR iniquities; the punishment that brought US peace was upon him, and by his wounds WE are healed” (Isa 53:4,5). If Jesus appeared to be a blemished and imperfect offering, we need not be “offended” nor “stumble” at this. Instead, we need only remember that such blemishes and imperfections were inflicted, and accepted, on OUR behalf. He was made “sin” for us, so that we might be made “righteousness” in him (2Co 5:21).

Reading 1 – 1Sa 19:16

“But when the men [sent by Saul] entered [looking to arrest David while he lay in his sickbed]”…

…they found he was escaped from their grasp…

“there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair” (1Sa 19:16).

Here is an easy echo of the familiar New Testament incident: “They came to the place where he lay” — this time the New Testament “David”, or “Beloved”, or “Anointed” — but THEY FOUND NO BODY!” (Mat 28:6; John 20:2,6-8)

Reading 2 – Isa 63:4

“For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come” (Isa 63:4).

“Redemption” is the Hebrew “gaal”. A “gaal” or “kinsman-redeemer” was responsible for protecting the extended family’s interests, often by redeeming property that had been sold outside the family. However, his responsibilities extended beyond financial concerns. He was also responsible for avenging the shed blood of a family member (see Num 35:19-27; Deu 19:6-12). In this verse, where vengeance is a prominent theme (note the previous line), it is probably this function of the family protector that is in view. The LORD pictures himself as a blood avenger who waits for the day of vengeance to arrive and then springs into action on behalf of his “kinsman”!

Reading 3 – Mat 8:14,15

“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him” (Mat 8:14,15).

“It is no light thing to take a man from his home and wife and family and livelihood to become a… preacher… This healing of Peter’s mother-in-law guaranteed enthusiastic support. From this day forward, Peter need never look over his shoulder wondering how his wandering life… was regarded by the folks at home” (Harry Whittaker, “Studies in the Gospels” 123).

Reading 1 – 2Sa 4:9

“The LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble” (2Sa 4:9).

God had always delivered David; he did not need the help of wicked men (like Recab and Baanah, who assassinated Ishbosheth, thinking it would please David).

“The more things collapse around us, and in our affairs, the more important closeness to God is, and the more important it is realized to be, if we are of the right mind. This is the blessing of adversity. This is why Paul ‘rejoiced in sufferings’ [Rom 5:3] and James ‘counted it all joy when he fell into divers temptations’ [Jam 1:2]” (GV Growcott).

Reading 2 – Jer 10

Jer 10 portrays the great controversy: Idols versus Yahweh.

“The ‘portion’ of Jacob (Jer 10:12,13,16) is the inheritance of the fathers. The word ‘cheleq’ signifies ‘to apportion; separate’ and comes from a root signifying ‘to be smooth’, which evidently relates to the stones of judgment. Yahweh has judged Jacob faithful, elevated his name to Israel, and has determined his future. The seed of Jacob rest in the divine protection, for Yahweh judges against the enemies of Israel for the fathers’ sakes. The evidence of this is seen in ‘the earth by His power’ (v 12). The solid earth is itself a natural symbol of strength and stability, whilst the glorious heavens presents a panorama of glory, and the mighty deep shows the marvels of God’s handiwork. The constant labour of nature testifies that His activity is never suspended, His presence never withdrawn. The conflict of the elements, the roar of thunder, the flash of lightning, the downpour of waters, the rush of storm-wind, are His work and assist in developing His purpose. All the elements testify to His majesty, greatness, reality, importance, and our utter dependence upon Him (Psa 73:26). Let Israel understand, and let the Ecclesia perceive that the way of man is not in himself, but that Yahweh corrects with judgment (Jer 10:24)” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – Mat 21:13

“IT IS WRITTEN,” HE SAID TO THEM, “MY HOUSE WILL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER”: Jesus cites Isaiah, where the context reads: “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant — these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa 56:6,7).

Here is a symbolic indication that the court of the Gentiles was henceforth to be holy also (Gal 3:28). This scene took place in the court of the Gentiles. By using this area for moneychangers, the leaders had forgotten their delegated role of witnessing to the Gentiles (Zec 9:8).

God’s temple is not just a house where prayer is offered by people of all nations — which is true enough — but also a “house” (a spiritual house) built up by and consisting of prayers offered by many individuals, of many nations. With our prayers, wherever we might be physically, we “build” the “house” in which God dwells.

“BUT YOU ARE MAKING IT A ‘DEN OF THIEVES’ “: Jesus is blending a quotation from Jeremiah (Jer 7:11) in with the Isaiah quotation. The two citations take us from the pinnacle — what God’s house at its best might be — to the very lowest depth — what God’s house at its worst had become! And so God’s house — filled with a sort of spiritual leprosy — was now in dire need of cleansing by God’s true priest.

Reading 1 – 1Sa 28

“The man [Saul, whom] David honoured as ‘Yahweh’s Anointed’ had a vacillating life, reaching great heights and depths in his pitiful path of duty. But now Saul’s experiences provide a closing tragic chapter in a life of failure. It is the rush of a desperate man unable to see the way to redeem himself, and to obtain the divine blessing. He becomes clouded in personal despondency, and seeks the folly of a witch’s deception. Having by his own confession ‘played the fool’ (1Sa 26:21), Saul now reaps the result of such actions. It is against the background of national distress. So:

War is declared: vv 1,2. Saul’s dilemma: vv 3-6. Saul’s tragic mission: vv 7-14. Saul’s fate foreshadowed: vv 15-20. The woman ministers to Saul’s need: vv 21-25.

“It was a fearful journey that dark night as Saul went beyond the Philistine camp in his urgent need for some solution. The Philistines were encamped in Shunem, directly between Gilboa and Endor. Such a visit under such conditions was perilous in the extreme, and nothing could have induced Saul to venture thither, but the agony of despair and complete despondency. But if he left in agony, how great was his despair as he returned to take up his post with his worst fears confirmed. Yahweh had closed His ears to the king; whilst Saul turns to a witch of Endor — a woman whose occupation was anathema to the divine righteousness. Saul was governed by a false idea of religion. Like Cain he sought to frustrate the wisdom of Yahweh, and in so doing not only found the depths of misery, but faced the day of his death” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 2 – Jer 4:23-26

“I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger” (Jer 4:23-26).

This is powerful, shattering language. The prophet sees the LORD reversing the effect of the days of the original Creation. In Genesis, the Divine work was designed to develop order out of chaos to order; here, it is designed to develop chaos out of order!

As especially in v 24, earthquakes often accompany awesome manifestations of God: Exo 19:18; Jdg 5:4; Psa 77:18; 114:4; Isa 2:10-22; Jer 4:24; Eze 38:20; Joe 3:16; Amo 9:1,5; Zec 14:4; Rev 6:12; 11:19; 16:18.

Reading 3 – Mat 15:14

“Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Mat 15:14).

“The Pharisees evaded duties to their parents and so made void one of the ten commandments. Jesus very severely condemns their casuistry, by which they put the doctrines of men in the place of God’s law. The same saying occurs in another context in Luk 6:39, as part of the disclosure which closely resembles the Sermon on the Mount of Mat 5-7. This context in Luke’s record, and the fact that it was spoken to the disciples, prevents the comfortable detached consideration of the saying which is possible in restricting its reference to the Pharisees. We may appreciate the application to others and endorse the judgment: but it is spoken also as a warning to all disciples. The object lesson of the one must be noted for the guidance of every follower of the Lord. It is a warning of the dangers of being leaders and teachers, which all teachers should take to heart” (John Carter, “Parables of the Messiah” 113).

Reading 1 – 2Sa 6:17

“They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it [in Jerusalem], and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD” (2Sa 6:17).

A number of David’s psalms stem from this incident:

“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart” (Psa 15:1,2).

“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (Psa 24:3,4).

“Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines. Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel” (Psa 68:24-26).

“O LORD, remember David and all the hardships he endured… I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob… Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool — arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might” (Psa 132:1,4,5,7,8).

Reading 2 – Jer 11

“Jeremiah’s message continues its indictment against a generation of faithless Israelites. The ecclesia was facing its last days, and entered into a conspiracy against the divine covenant in Jer 11.

As a representative of the small, faithful remnant within the nation,

Jeremiah endorsed the covenant: vv 1-5. He supported king Josiah, and later predicted the advent of the New covenant (Jer 31:31-34). Then the prophet proclaims the Truth throughout Judea: vv 6-8. He is directed to tour the land with the message of the Covenant — a tour that brought him into conflict with his own city, and in so doing, he typed the Christ. The people turned back: vv 9,10. Some time elapsed. The people returned home after the enthusiasm of the proclamation of the covenant, and celebration of Passover, but the tour of Jeremiah received little success. The people heard with impatience his warning words, and like their forefathers, stubborn of heart, they repudiated his strictures. Therefore the People will experience the curse of the Covenant: vv 11-14. Olive branches to be broken off: vv 15-17. The lamb to the slaughter: vv 18,19. Jeremiah’s prayer: Vindicate divine judgment: v 20. Yahweh promises to vindicate the prophet: vv 21-23.

Thus the chapter is a sad commentary on the way in which flesh reacts to the divine mercy, and reminds us that rejection of the warnings of the Word will bring a sad destiny” (GE Mansfield).

Reading 3 – Mat 22:11

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes” (Mat 22:11).

The word “see” is the Greek “theoreo” — suggesting a formal inspection by the king: something like being “presented” at court!

“Anciently, kings and princes were accustomed to make presents of changes of raiment to their friends and favourites, to refuse to receive which was an expression of highest contempt (2Ki 10:22; Est 6:8; 8:15). It was, of course, expected that such garments would be worn when they came into the presence of the benefactor. The garments worn on festival occasions were chiefly long white robes; and it was the custom of the person who made the feast to prepare such robes to be worn by the guests. This renders the conduct of this man more inexcusable. He came in his common ordinary dress, as he was taken from the highway; and though he had not a garment of his own suitable for the occasion, yet one would have been provided for him, if he had applied for it. His not doing it was expressive of the highest disrespect for the king” (Albert Barnes).

The respected rabbinical scholar Edersheim cites, as background to this parable, two commonly-known rabbinical parables (from which Jesus may have borrowed, or at least used as his “jumping-off” place):

In one parable the king is represented as inviting his subjects to a feast, without, however, fixing the exact time for it. When inviting the guests, the king had told them to wash, anoint, and array themselves in their festive garments. But the foolish assume that they will know well in advance, from the preparation of the food and the arranging of the seats, when the feast was to begin; and so they had gone, the mason to his cask of lime, the potter to his clay, the smith to his furnace, the fuller to his bleaching-ground. But suddenly comes the king’s summons to the feast, when the wise appear festively adorned, and the king rejoices over them, and they are made to sit down, eat and drink. But he is angry with the foolish, who appear squalid, unwashed, and unadorned, and are ordered to stand by and look on in anguish, hunger and thirst. The second parable tells of a king who committed to his servants the royal robes. The wise among them carefully laid them by while the foolish put them on when they did their work. After a time the king asked back the robes, when the wise could restore them clean, while the foolish had them soiled. Then the king rejoiced over the wise, and, while the robes were laid up in the treasury, they were bidden go home in peace. But to the foolish he commanded that the robes should be handed over to the fuller, and that they themselves should be cast into prison.

And so the Bride makes herself ready for the wedding, and she is given “fine linen, bright and clean” — which represents “the righteous acts of the saints”. In the Mat 22 parable, all the guests are in the same role as the “Bride” in Rev 19: they are the multitudinous bride — and the garments they have been “given” are twofold:

Their nakedness, or sins, have been covered by the “garment” provided by the Bridegroom (in symbol, this is equivalent to being washed and cleansed with water through the word, etc, in Eph 5:26,27; and/or garments washed white in the blood of the Lamb, in Rev 7:14) [contrast this with the fig-leaf coverings, which is all Adam can provide for Eve to cover her nakedness after the original sin!]. But without their own righteous acts, by which their faith is demonstrated to be real (Jam 2:17-26), they would be rejected, because their faith would have been dead!

So it would seem that, in the special wedding garments, there may be two aspects involved: first, a garment which is provided by the host, or bridegroom, or king; and secondly, the need for each invited guest to keep his or her own special garment washed and clean and ready to wear.