Salem Ebenezer RCUS, Manitowoc, WI

Ann M. Goeke, 74, went home to her Lord on Wednesday, August 24, 2011, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, after a long battle with pneumonia. She was born February 4, 1937, in Brillion, WI.

Ann was a member of Salem Ebenezer Reformed Church in WI. Ann had served in the church Ladies Aid and was also a member of the church Adult Bible Study. Ann loved to travel and to read. She is survived by her husband Leslie, who has served as an elder in the church.

Hilda Rambadt, born September 19, 1911, celebrated her 100th birthday at Salem Ebenezer Reformed Church during a special fellowship meal at the church on September 25, 2011. She also celebrated with about 100 friends & family members, including a great‑grandson from Alaska on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the Newton Town Hall.

Rev. Chester R. Ploeger
September 1, 1925-August 21, 2011

GARNER- Rev. Chester R. Ploeger, 85, of Garner died Sunday (August 21, 2011) at the Concord Care Center in Garner.

The funeral for Rev. Chester Ploeger was conducted at Peace RCUS, Garner, IA, on August 24, 2011. It was a blessing to have words of sympathy and remembrance from the Synod Executive Committee and from representatives of our four Classes. There were a total of ten RCUS ministers in attendance, representing each Classis of the RCUS. Thanks be to our faithful Lord and God for how He worked through the ministry of Rev. Ploeger. And all praise to our Lord for the only comfort in life and in death, Jesus Christ!

Rev. Chester Raymond Ploeger, one of seven children of Fred and Amelia (Luelf) Ploeger, was born September 1, 1925, at Schaller, Iowa. He was baptized in Immanuel Reformed Church in Schaller on September 13, 1925, by Rev. Herman Greimann. Chester grew to manhood on his father's farm located seven miles northeast of Schaller.

On May 28, 1939, he received the Rite of Confirmation by Rev. Willard Sherman. He received his elementary education in the rural schools of Eden Township and graduated from Hayes Consolidated High School at Storm Lake in 1942. In 1946, he graduated from Mission House College in Plymouth, WI, with a Bachelor of Arts degree and from the Mission House Theological Seminary with a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1949. He was examined and licensed by the Germania Classis, Reformed Church in America, at Lennox, SD, on July 8, 1949, and ordained into the Holy Ministry by the same classis on July 27, 1949.

On June 18, 1950, he was married to Miss Grace Grether in the Salem-Ebenezer Reformed Church in Manitowoc, WI, by the Rev. K.J. Stuebbe. Chester served the following pastorates: Logan Reformed Church in Dell Rapids, SD, from 1949 to 1952, Peace Reformed Church in Garner from 1952 to 1965, Zion Reformed Church in Menno, SD, from 1965 to 1970, Peace Reformed Church in Napoleon, OH, from 1970 to 1973, Salem-Ebenezer Reformed Church in Manitowoc, WI, from 1973 to 1976, Grace Reformed Church in Bakersfield, CA, from 1976 to 1983, Peace Reformed Church in Loveland, CO from 1983 to 1985, and Eureka Reformed Church in Eureka, SD, from 1985 to 1990. In 1990, Chester retired from the ministry and moved with Grace back to Garner. Chester was elected Pastor Emeritus by the Peace Reformed Church in Garner on July 15, 1990. From 1990 to 2000 he did substitute preaching in various Reformed churches in the area. He is survived by his wife, Grace Ploeger (nee Grether) of Garner; a sister, Evelyn Currie of Storm Lake; a sister-in-law, Mardelle Ploeger of Sioux Center, and many nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ivan (Genevieve) Ploeger and Everett (Verna) Ploeger; fraternal twin brother, Lester Ploeger; two sisters, Opal (Lyle) Langner and Mildred (Bill) Demers; and a brother-in-law, Wilbur Currie.

Minneapolis-Metro Mission Work Update

Rev. Ryan Kron

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are all grateful for the work that God continues to do in building his church in the Twin Cities. During this past month, many of the details of the church plant have begun to solidify:

1) Lord willing, we will begin meeting for regular corporate worship services on Sunday, October 23, 2011. We will meet at Eden Lake Elementary School, which is located in Eden Prairie (a suburb southwest of Minneapolis). The address for Eden Lake is: 12000 Anderson Lakes Parkway, Eden Prairie, MN.

2) Our Sunday morning schedule will follow this schedule: Sunday School/Catechism from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM and Corporate Worship from 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM. We are also planning to have potlucks together on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays from 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM.

3) The church plant has officially been named Emmaus Road Reformed Church.

4) Our website is now up and running: www.emmausrcus.org. Our blog will now be updated regularly at the new website.

5) Please join us in giving thanks to God and continuing to remember these items in prayer:

a) Thanksgiving that God has answered our prayers by providing us with an elementary school to rent for corporate worship in Eden Prairie.

b) Thanksgiving for those who have attended the Bible study over the past six months. Overall, 57 different adults and kids have attended at one time or another.

c) Thanksgiving for the generous support of Redeemer and the churches of classis and synod.

d) Prayer that those who have visited the Bible study will come to corporate worship services.

e) Prayer for outreach to the neighborhood around the church plant.

f) Prayer for the families of the core group as they pour their hearts and lives into serving in various capacities in the church plant.

g) Prayer for the core group and the members of the Bible study as they invite friends, family, and neighbors to come and join us for worship services.

h) Prayer for the new Bible studies that will begin soon in different parts of the southwest metro of the Twin Cities.

i) Pray that God will sanctify all of us more and more by his Spirit through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

j) Pray that God will be glorified in the start of this new church plant.

k) Pray that God will save His people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 5:9).

Finally, please join us in praying the words of Colossians 1:9-14:

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Pastor Ryan Kron, Minneapolis, MN
www.emmausrcus.org

Rev. Scott Henry

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:1-3).

One of the most important issues that must be settled in the heart of every believer is the assurance of salvation. Every believer must be confident that they can never be snatched out of the hands of Christ, because the lack of assurance of salvation causes a believer to be unproductive in the Kingdom of Christ. And the lack of assurance is a direct result of a lack of time spent in the Word of God. You see, it's the Holy Spirit working through His Word in the heart that gives the believer the assurance of salvation. 1 John 5:13: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." This is why the Word of God must continually be preached, taught, and read!

But we live in a day of confusion, a day when many so called churches and so-called preachers do not faithfully preach God's Word. 2 Corinthians 2:17: "For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." The word "peddling" is the Greek word kapeleuo, which has reference to a merchant who adulterates wine with water for personal gain. And so Paul said in his day there were many peddlers of God's Word who corrupted or watered it down for their personal gain. In other words, they ignored the truth and told people what they wanted to hear. And we have many such peddlers of God's Word in our day; all one has to do is listen to one of the many TV preachers that are broadcasted on "Christian Television."

Amos prophesied of Israel during his day that the people "shall wander from sea to sea and run to and fro, seeking the Word of the Lord, but shall not find it." In the same way, today you can go from place to place seeking the Word of the Lord and not find it because many "preachers" are afraid to preach the Word of God with boldness and conviction because they have a fear of men. However, Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe." Some are afraid to faithfully preach the Word because they fear offending one of their church members. However, 1 Peter 2:8 tells us that "Jesus is called a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." Others are afraid to preach the Word because they are man-pleasers. But the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10: "For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men I would not be a slave of Christ." Many "preachers" simply don't understand their calling as a herald-one who is called to preach the Word of God in season and out of season; when it's convenient and when it's not convenient! (2 Tim.).

Another reason for confusion is that we live in a day when many church members don't hunger for the faithful preaching of God's Word. We live in a day when many who call themselves Christians would rather be entertained on Sunday morning than hear the faithful preaching of God's Word. The truth really doesn't matter to so many people. People in our day ask: "How does it make me feel?" or "Does it work?" Seldom do they ask if it's biblical. That's why we see so much distortion in worship on the Lord's Day, and why there's so much confusion regarding salvation. Paul wrote to Timothy, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). The word "fables" is the Greek word moothos, which means tales or fiction. People will run after fairytales and fictional stories rather than the truth of God's Word. What about you? Do you hunger for God's Word? Do you realize how important the truth of God's Word is in the life of the believer?

In the midst of all this confusion in our day, the Apostle Peter says in our text: "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." The word therefore takes us back to what Peter previously wrote in 1Peter 1:22-25, where he said that the living, abiding, eternal Word of God is the source of the believer's new birth and cleansing from sin. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:3: "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." It's the Holy Spirit who transformed us and brought the grace of God to our soul, and He did it through the Word. And since every believer has experienced God's saving work through His Word and Spirit then we ought to desire this continual influence and power in our life. Therefore Peter said, "lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking." This is a command to lay aside all the filthy sin in your life. To "lay aside" originally meant to take off filthy clothing, and in this same manner Peter mentions five things the believer must practice laying aside: "all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking." And we lay it aside by confessing it and turning from it always more and more (HC Q88-90). "All deceit" means "deception, dishonesty or falsehood." It's a word used for a "fishhook" because of the deception of a baited fishhook. Peter is telling believers to continually set aside everything that is deceptive or dishonest in your life.

"Hypocrisy" is something that's not real. It's a fake like the cubic zirconium ring. It may look real and it may even fool many, but the truth is it's a fake diamond. The word hypocrisy has reference to the Greek stage actors who wore a mask on stage. They were called hypocrites who were playing a part. Our text tells us to be real and genuine as followers of Christ. Don't play the hypocrite in any area of life; don't play-act. How many times have people worn a big smile to worship on Sunday morning, but underneath they despised the individual to whom they smiled? Our text calls believers to repent of the sin of hypocrisy. Peter then adds "envy," which means to covet what others have, to desire to be someone else, or resent somebody else's situation because it's not your situation. For instance, envy sprouts to the surface when someone receives an inheritance, money, land, possessions, etc. that someone else did not receive. Envy leads to grudges, bitterness, and hatred, which the Heidelberg Catechism calls the root of murder (HC Q106). And so we must put off envy by confessing our sins to the Lord and asking for the grace of repentance. Peter then says "all evil speaking," which refers to all unkind words or gossip. Peter says if you desire deceptive things, hypocritical things, if your mind is filled with envy, or you get pleasure from slandering others, and if this is the pattern of your life, then your desires are corrupt and you cannot desire the pure milk of the Word of God.

Instead of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking, Peter says: "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby." True godliness is always marked by a love for and a delight in God's Word. John 8:31: "True believers keep God's Word." Job said: "I have treasured the Word of God more than my necessary food." Psalm 1 tells us that the godly man delights in God's Word. In Psalm 19:10, David refers to the Word of God as "more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." This desire for God's Word is what Peter is referring to in our text. He's calling us to desire the pure milk of the Word. The word "desire," which is the Greek word epipatheo (the prefix epi is a preposition that intensifies the verb patheo) means to have a desire that's over and above everything else. Peter is saying above all else in life, believers should strongly desire the Word of God. David illustrates this in Psalm 42:1: "As the deer pants after the water brook, so pants my soul after Thee oh God." In other words, believers are called to thirst for God's Word as a panting deer seeks for water.

Peter uses the analogy of a newborn baby that longs for its mother's milk to describe the believer's longing for God's Word. "Newborn babe" is the Greek term, brephos, which literally means "a baby just born." Peter is clearly talking about a baby that has just come out of its mother's womb and is dependent upon the nourishment of its mother. And the instant a baby is born it has the God-given desire to nurse from its mother, and if it doesn't, then it's either stillborn or seriously ill. A healthy baby craves milk and only milk. This is what nourishes a baby and gives it the necessary antibodies to protect it from disease. And as a baby craves milk, in that same way, believers are to crave God's Word. This is the God-given spiritual desire to all who are born of the Spirit of God. In other words, Peter is saying that a sign that a person has been regenerated or given new life by the Holy Spirit is a hunger for the Word of God. Do you have a real desire for the pure Word of God? This is evidence of the work of the Spirit of God in your soul. And when you have this craving, then worship on Sunday morning, Bible Studies, and Scripture reading at home are not a burden but a joy, a privilege, and a delight! You see, it's the Word that nourishes and protects the believer. The Word gives us assurance, confidence, strength, comfort, wisdom, joy, peace and understanding. The Word of God is "a lamp to our feet and a light to our path" (Ps. 119:105), and it sets us free from Satan's lies (Jn. 8:32). The Word of God enables us to discern truth from error, it teaches us to walk in obedience to the Lord, it causes us to grow as believers, and we should continually desire the Word "if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

Have you tasted the graciousness of the Lord? Has He saved you by His grace? Have you experienced God's goodness and kindness? Have you experienced answered prayers and have you seen God's hand of protection in your life through His wondrous providence? Has He provided for all your needs and comforted the cries of your broken heart, and filled you with joy and gladness in the midst of your trials? All of these things came to you through the eternal Word of God, which lives and abides forever. "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4). Today, across the world, we have weak churches filled with weak Christians who are spiritually malnourished because they're fed a constant diet of junk food rather than the pure milk of God's Word. Because of this they've lost the desire for the pure Word of God, which brings consequences that makes the church vulnerable to all kinds of doctrinal error. And the only solution is found in our text, "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

Rev. Scott Henry
Lancaster, CA

by Tom Cox

[Mr. Cox is attending Covenant Chapel in San Diego at this time. Rev. Baloy writes: "Well over one year ago, Tom Cox came to our congregation in San Diego. The following account is a ‘Mealtime Meditation' which he gave on the Lord's Day of August 7, 2011." We are printing this for publication in the hope that others will be benefitted and perhaps even have an angle on a job for Mr. Cox who remains homeless. -Ed.]

All of us here today have had tribulations at some point in our lives. But what exactly are tribulations? In short, they can be called "hard times" or be referred to as "a rough road ahead," or, as some would say, "down on our luck." We've all been there. Everyone on this planet, whether they are believers in Christ Jesus or not, have had their share of tribulations.

But why do we have these tribulations? God gives us these "hard times" for several reasons. And I will list four reasons that I have found:

1) To balance out the amount of prosperity we have in our lives. We can find a couple of examples of this in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in verses 3 and 4, and also in verse 6 that read: "A time to break down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to gain and a time to lose."

2) As a means to chastise us for not following His Word like it says in Deuteronomy 8:5: "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens His son, so the Lord your God chastens you."

3) So that we may learn perseverance, as Paul wrote about in Romans 5:3-4, "But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produce perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

4) To draw us nearer to Him: Paul wrote in Romans 8:35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" He goes on to tell us the answer in verses 38 and 39 which read, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." God can use any one of these reasons, or a combination of, or even all of these reasons, for giving us tribulations. That certainly seems to be the case with me.

Five years ago things were going quite well for me. I was in a time of prosperity. I had a job that I liked. I had my own apartment, a king-sized bed to sleep in, and a kitchen to cook my meals in. I had well over 200 VHS and DVD movies to watch, and a video game system to play video games if I didn't want to watch any movies. And if I didn't want to play video games, I had close to 200 music CDs to choose from for my listening pleasure.

Oh, yes, things were going great! But then it all changed, and it changed in just a matter of minutes. I got up on a Friday morning and walked to work. It was a lovely morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but there was light and the air was still cool. It was payday, and I was anticipating getting my check. I had the full 80 hours for that two-week period and had worked another 16 hours of overtime. It was enough to pay the next month's rent, buy enough food for two weeks, and maybe even a movie or two, or a couple of CDs. Yes, life was good!

But when I got to work and walked in the door, before I could even punch in, I was given a devastating blow. I was told that there were no more jobs and to go home. And when I inquired about the paychecks, I was given the knock-out punch. "The company is bankrupt, there's no money, no jobs, go home!" I knew right then and there, that I just lost everything without that final paycheck. I had no money for rent, no money for food, not even bus fare to go look for a new job. I knew I was going to be homeless.

On October 1, my rent was due. On October 2, an eviction notice was taped to my door. On October 8, 2006, I walked out of my apartment for the last time, with only a couple changes of clothes that I could carry with me. Everything else had to either be thrown away or simply abandoned in place.

Do you remember that I said that God also used tribulation to teach us perseverance? Well, here it is five years later. I'm still homeless, still unemployed. I think I have definitely learned perseverance, and it has helped me to build character. I know I can persevere as long as I need to while I wait for God to act and allow me to prosper once again. Homelessness isn't as hard to deal with as it was at the beginning. Don't get me wrong, it's no walk in the park (no pun intended). And it certainly isn't fun, nor do I wish to remain homeless. But what makes it bearable now is the fact that I have grown closer to God the Father Almighty and to His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ.

And our Lord Jesus Christ Himself went through His share of tribulations. Did He not wander in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan? Did He not also have to flee from different cities as people wanted Him captured and killed? On the night that Judas betrayed Him, was He not in the garden praying to His heavenly Father and said: "O my Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will"? And did He not suffer great humiliation and pain as the centurions stripped Him of His clothing, whipped Him and beat Him, and thrust a crown of thorns upon His head? And did He not suffer while He was nailed to that cross even unto death? These are all examples of the tribulations that our Lord had to endure. Yes, He knew He had to go through those tribulations, and He did so out of His love for all of us, so that we who believe in him and call upon Him may be saved.

Paul was right when he wrote, "Tribulation produces perseverance, character, and character, hope," because I now have hope, and five years ago I had none. There is something else that I didn't have then, but I do now: God and His Son Jesus Christ. I know God has blessed me, because He brought me to meet Pastor Baloy. That was no accidental encounter. God led both of us to each other. Pastor Baloy then brought me to this church and introduced me to all of you. And all of you, through your kindness and your prayers, have given me the hope I so needed. All the glory goes to God above. But I thank all of you as well. And what gives me even yet more hope are these words that Jesus Christ Himself said in John 16:33: "These thing I have spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, and may His Father bless each and every one of you for many, many years.

Covenant Reformed Chapel
San Diego, California

The Biblical Historical Connection Between the Baptism of Jesus, the Giving of the Spirit, and the Wilderness Temptation

Introduction

After the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit of God descended from heaven upon Christ and immediately afterward He was "led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matt. 4:1). The purpose of this study is to explore the proximity of these three key events in the life of Jesus-His baptism, the sending of the Spirit, and the Spirit leading Him into the wilderness-and identify their significance in the wider context of Messianic expectation and fulfillment, and in particular how they point to Jesus as the Deliverer King of Israel.

It will be demonstrated in this study that the three events identified above are tightly linked, and an examination of the Old Testament narrative in Judges and 1 Samuel will present compelling evidence that (1) the baptism of Jesus represented His earthly anointing as King of Israel; and (2) Jesus being driven into the wilderness by the Spirit of God to fight with the devil was a fulfillment of His role as Deliverer King. It should be noted that several streams of Old Testament prophecy and expectation merged together in the baptism and temptation accounts; e.g., Jesus was ideal Israel in the wilderness; Jesus was Last Adam resisting the devil's temptations. As well, the giving of the Spirit to Jesus by the Father has rich Trinitarian significance. The purpose here is not to ignore or disallow these important considerations, but rather to isolate one of these prophetic streams-Messiah as Deliverer King of His people-and demonstrate its fulfillment in the baptism and subsequent ministry of Jesus Christ.

Biblical Historical Pattern in the Book of Judges

In the days before the kings, Israel repeatedly fell into sin and apostasy. As a result, God used the surrounding nations to judge His rebellious people, bringing them into servitude. When foreign oppression became unbearable, the people made supplication to God for deliverance. In faithfulness and covenant mercy, God heard the cries of His people and sent salvation in the form of a deliverer (or "judge"), who was empowered and equipped by the Spirit of God to save the people from their enemies. After a period of rest, the judge died, the people returned to their evil ways, and the cycle would repeat.

This historical pattern of sin, servitude, supplication, and salvation by the Spirit-led deliverer is stated in summary form in Judges 2:11-19, and repeatedly demonstrated in the narrative portion of the book (e.g., 3:7-11; 3:12-30; 4:1-5:31; 6:1-8:35, etc.). This repetition is accompanied by an increasingly downward spiral of corruption (2:19) and spiritual anarchy (17:6), to the point near the end of the era where the author laments that "everyone [in Israel] did what was right in his own eyes" (21:25).

Thus the deliverers of Israel were raised up by God in periods of spiritual darkness and foreign oppression. The Lord equipped these judges to deliver the Israelites by the power of the Spirit coming upon them (cf. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6; 14:19; 15:14; and implied elsewhere). Of particular interest for this study is what happened immediately after the Spirit came upon a judge. In every case, the judge was stirred to successful battle against Israel's enemies. Thus Othniel went out to make war against the king of Mesopotamia (3:10); Ehud was stirred to attack the king of Moab (3:15-16); Barak was called to defeat the Canaanite army (4:6-7); Gideon was summoned Israel to fight against the Midianites, Amalekites, and their allies (6:33-34); Jephthah was aroused to battle with the sons of Ammon (11:29); and Samson was moved to wreak havoc against the Philistines (13:25-14:4; 14:19; 15:14-17).

Thus, when God called individual judges to deliver Israel from her enemies, He sent them His Spirit as a divine investiture of heavenly glory and strength, to equip them for their tasks. Soon after this divine investiture, the judges were moved by the Spirit to battle, resulting in great deliverance for the nation.

Biblical Historical Pattern in the Call of King Saul

Samuel, the last judge of Israel and the first in a line of kingly prophets, was called to appoint the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 8:22), a man of God's own choosing. Soon after, God spoke to Samuel, indicating the time and place where the Lord would send to him the man He had chosen as king (9:15-16). The next day, when Samuel saw Saul coming toward him, God spoke to the prophet, saying, "There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people" (9:17).

After meeting with Saul, Samuel took a flask of oil and anointed the new king, explaining that the Spirit of God would soon come upon him (10:1-8). Later that same day, the Spirit did come upon Saul, and he prophesied (10:9-10). Soon after, Saul was presented to Israel as the new king (10:17-26), and the Spirit came upon him once again (11:6), provoking him to wage war against the Ammonites who were threatening his brethren (11:7-10). The Israelite army, under the direction of its Spirit-led king, completely routed the Ammonites (11:11).

Saul later proved disobedient to God (13:7-13), and the Spirit was taken from him (16:14) and his kingdom removed (13:14; 15:28; 28:17). Nevertheless, the basic pattern evident in the period of the judges was repeated in the early days of Saul's reign-disobedient Israel was oppressed, God appointed a man to deliver the nation from its bondage, and God sent His Spirit upon the chosen man to equip and provoke him to battle. The differences were as follows:

1) God now appointed a king to be the deliverer of Israel (as the people had requested).

2) The prophet of Israel was providentially directed to meet with the new king.

3) God spoke to the prophet, identifying the new king.

4) The prophet anointed the head of the new king.

5) After the anointing by the prophet, the Spirit of God came upon the new king.

6) Soon after, the king was provoked by the Spirit to fight against Israel's enemies.

7) The Spirit-filled king and the armies of Israel won a great victory over their enemies.

Biblical Historical Pattern in the Call of King David

After the Lord rejected Saul as king, Samuel was again called to appoint the new king of Israel, once again a man of God's choosing (1 Samuel 16:1). The Lord directed Samuel to the house of Jesse, and as the sons of Jesse were presented before him, the Lord passed over each in turn until David arrived. Just as He had done in the call of Saul, God spoke to Samuel when the prophet laid eyes on the young man: "‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one'" (16:12). Samuel immediately took a flask of oil and anointed David as king, "and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (16:13).

Soon after, the Philistines arrayed themselves in battle against Israel, and their champion, Goliath, challenged King Saul's armies to send out a champion to fight him (17:1-10). The Israelites, and apparently even Saul, were afraid of Goliath, but David, being led by God's Spirit, was provoked to fight against the Philistine giant (17:26). David subsequently met Goliath in battle, defeating him in dramatic fashion and turning the Philistines to flight (17:40-51). Emboldened by this turn of events, the Israelite army pursued their fleeing enemies and routed them (17:52-53). Thus the historical pattern in the call of King Saul was repeated in the call of King David:

1) The prophet of God was commanded to anoint a king.

2) God providentially directed the prophet to meet the new king.

3) God spoke to the prophet, identifying the new king.

4) The prophet anointed the head of the new king.

5) After the anointing by the prophet, the Spirit of God came upon the king.

6) The king was then provoked to fight against Israel's enemies.

7) The Spirit-filled king and the armies of Israel won a great victory over their enemies.

Biblical Historical Pattern in the Call of King Jesus (Matthew 3:1-4:1)

When Jesus began His ministry, the Roman Empire was in firm political and military control of Palestine. The illusion of an Israelite kingdom was offset by the occupation of Romans troops, Roman tax collectors, and the leadership of a corrupt foreign king, the Roman puppet Herod Antipas.

Foreign oppression was bad enough, but the Jews suffered under another type of subjugation more fearsome than Rome-demons were everywhere. Seemingly every community in Israel was afflicted with the presence of evil spirits, explaining why so many Israelites ultimately came to Jesus to be delivered from demonic possession.

This underscores two important historical realities: 1) The Israelites at the time of Christ were extremely corrupt (Jesus referred to them as "an evil and adulterous generation," Matt. 12:39) and under God's severe discipline, being oppressed by fearful enemies both seen (Romans) and unseen (demonic hordes). 2) Consistent with the historical pattern in the periods of the judges and the earliest kings, God in His mercy sent a Deliverer (His Son) to Israel during a time of spiritual darkness and foreign subjugation, to save His weak and sinful people from their bondage.

We note in the context preceding Christ's baptism (Matt. 3:1-12) that John had been preaching the coming of God's kingdom: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The prophet's announcement anticipated the appearance of the new king on Israel's stage (Matt. 3:11-12; cf. John 1:26-27). We learn, too, that God had spoken to John about how to identify the king: "He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (Jn. 1:33).

With these first-century conditions in mind, and the OT backdrop of Judges and 1 Samuel also in view, we will now examine the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus and His subsequent wilderness temptation. Below is Matthew's account (3:13-4:1):

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus came to John to be baptized, and it is not entirely clear what John understood about the Lord's request. The prophet clearly knew Jesus had no need for repentance, and he also knew that Jesus was greater than he was (cf. Mk. 1:7). It seems John also understood by this point that Jesus was the pre-existent Lamb of God (cf. Jn. 1:29-30) and thus the divine Son (Jn. 1:34). For these reasons, John was resistant to baptizing Jesus, until Jesus persuaded him with these cryptic words: "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Whatever one makes of this statement, it is clear that after John heard it, he relented and was willing to baptize Jesus.

Immediately following the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, accompanied by God's voice declaring Him to be His Son. Jesus was then compelled by the Spirit to go to the wilderness to face off with the devil (Matt. 4:1-11). After defeating the devil's temptations, the Spirit-filled king followed up by waging a successful campaign against the devil's armies who were oppressing His people, sending the panic-stricken spirits to flight (Mk. 1:23-27, 32-34, 39).

Analysis and Implications

Measured against the backdrop of the call of the first two kings of Israel, the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus are striking:

1) God told the prophet (John) that a new king was to be ordained and presented to Israel.

2) God arranged the climactic meeting between the prophet and the new king (Jesus came to John and they spoke).

3) God spoke audibly to the prophet, identifying the new king (occurred before Christ's baptism, and then again when the heavenly voice declared Jesus to be the Son of God).

4) The prophet anointed the head of the new king (with water instead of oil).

5) After the anointing by the prophet, the Spirit of God came upon the king (vision of the Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove).

6) The newly-anointed king was then provoked by the Spirit to fight against Israel's chief enemy (Jesus compelled into the wilderness to encounter the devil).

7) The Spirit-filled king won a great victory over Israel's enemies (Jesus defeated Satan and then his hosts-initially a one-Man rout, and later joined by the apostles when they were commissioned and empowered to drive out demons; cf. Mk. 3:13-19; 6:7-13).

Thus the historical pattern of 1 Samuel was reproduced in the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus. If we connect the dots of the biblical story as intended, this sequence of events establishes Jesus as the ultimate Deliverer King of Israel, the Son of David called by God to save His people from their enemies.

Furthermore, these observations clarify why Jesus refrained from performing miracles and exorcisms before His baptism. Certainly He had power as Deity Incarnate (Jn. 1:1-18) to perform such deeds at any time, but as the divine Son ("true man and true God," Heidelberg Catechism Q47), Jesus was fully submitted to His heavenly Father's will (Jn. 6:38). It was evidently the Father's will, in keeping with the historical pattern of King Saul and King David, 1) first for the prophet of Israel to anoint Jesus as King, 2) then for the Father to empower Jesus from on high with the Holy Spirit (explains why the miracles of Jesus were accomplished by the power of the Spirit instead of His own omnipotent power), 3) then for the Spirit to provoke Jesus to battle against the greatest and most fearful enemies of Israel. After the anointing, empowering, and provocation of Jesus were completed, the Lord was thereafter free to engage the enemy at will, sending the demonic hosts to flight and rescuing His people from their bondage to their other previously unassailable adversaries-sin and death.

Conclusion

Against the historical backdrop of God raising up Spirit-empowered judges, and the subsequent anointings of Saul and David as the first two Spirit-empowered kings of Israel, we conclude that the giving of the Holy Spirit to Christ was a divine investiture of heavenly glory and power, marking Jesus as King and equipping Him to deliver Israel from her enemies. The anticipatory preaching of John the Baptist pointed to the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of David, who was introduced to Israel by the prophet. The baptism of Jesus was therefore His anointing as King. The subsequent anointing of the Holy Spirit from heaven, and the great spiritual victory gained by Jesus and His followers over Satan and his legions-climaxed by the greatest of all victories, Christ's sufferings on the cross and His resurrection from the dead-demonstrates that Jesus is indeed the ultimate Deliverer King of His people.

Rev. Joe Vusich
Sutton, NE