A consideration of the biblical theme, Kingdom of God, showing the Essay

A consideration of the biblical theme, Kingdom of God, showing the development of meaning in the Old and New Testaments - Essay Example The ‘Kingdom of God’ is a fundamental theme which runs from Genesis to Revelation. In its earliest expression there are strong similarities to the views of ‘kingship’ and ‘kingdom’ which were current among nations during the period of the OT, but from the outset it was clear that this was understood in terms of a universal and eternal divine authority. This overriding principle becomes increasingly dominant in the Biblical perspective until it comes to reality in the life and work of Jesus Christ. The actual phrase ‘kingdom of God’ does not occur in the OT. But from the outset the idea of God as absolute monarch and his kingly rule are pervasive in Scripture.†(Cf.New Dictionary of Theology). The concept of â€Å"Kingdom† is not current in the democratic mindset of our modern world. Ladd points out that in western idiom a kingdom is primarily seen as a realm over which a king exercises his authority. He quotes a modern dictionary definition: â€Å"A state or monarchy the head of which is a king, Dominion, realm†, and adds that while a secondary meaning of â€Å"kingdom,† relates to the people belonging to a given realm. He does not see either of these definitions as being accurate, as they tend to â€Å"lead astray from a correct understanding of the Biblical truth.† Much better, he says, is an ‘archaic’ definition in Webster’s dictionary, ‘The rank, quality, state or attributes of a king; royal authority, dominion, monarchy; kingship.† (Ibid). Greek and Hebrew scholars that the primary meaning of the Hebrew word â€Å"malkuth† in the Old Testament and the Greek word â€Å"basilieia† in the New Testament is of the rank, authority, and sovereignty exercised by a king. As Ladd says, â€Å"When the word refers to God’s Kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty, and not to any realm in which it is exercised. (20) Kittel underlines this; â€Å"†¦ the expression denotes the fact that God is king, i.e. it describes His kingly being or kingship.† Edersheim adds that the rule of heaven and the kingship of God was the â€Å"very substance of the Old Testament; the object of the calling and mission of Israel; the meaning of all its ordinances whether civil or religious; the underlying idea of all its institutions.† The Old Testament, he says, could not be understood without this.† (265) It was common that the rule of a king would be established by the terms of a co venant, in which two parties are bound together in a solemn, unbreakable oath. There are a series of covenants in the Bible, the terms of which were always determined by God. The earliest books of the Old Testament outline these covenants, showing the development of the nation that was to be the primary realm of his sovereignty on earth. God chose a series of patriarchs to found this nation; giving specific promises, and calling for their trust and obedience. For several centuries these people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, lived in and are eventually become enslaved in Egypt. After 430 years, â€Å"God commissioned Moses, with Aaron as his mouthpiece , to lead out the Hebrew slaves, tribal descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from Egypt, to become a nation in Palestine, the land of promise (Exodus 3:4)† (New Bible Dictionary). At Mount Sinai, god established a covenant with the Israelites, grounding His requirements (the laws which were to function as the constitution for a theocratic kingdom in which God would be the sole ruler) on what He had already done for them, and giving promises of great blessings which would accrue if they were obedient to the terms of the covenant. Closely coupled to the idea of God’s absolute sovereignty is the fact of his holiness. â€Å"God is the king of His covenant people, Israel. In a particular sense, not true of any other nation. †¦

Purpose statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Purpose statement - Essay Example My dream is finally almost being achieved as well as my hard work being paid off with the entry in this program of paediatric dentistry. In preparation for this great career move, I have attained an undergraduate degree in Dentistry as well as diplomas in oral health and child psychology. The child psychology has enabled me gain in depth knowledge about children from the moment they are conceived to their adolescent years and how to handle them, gain their trust and teach them. The oral health education was a preparation to the field to test my readiness and resilience. It yielded positive results as it prepared me mentally on what was expected and how I should approach the mastery of the subject. In addition to theoretical work, I have had the privilege and pleasure to carry out field work in a few hospitals and health care centres where I have worked hand in hand with dentists and seen their work. One of the field experiences had been as an intern in a dentist clinic where I got exposure to the dentistry machines as well as handling patients. Working in a children’s hospital and home gave me time to practice my child psychology education and I found myself more and more attracted to the children, their curiosity, fear and attempted bravery and I found out I had a natural talent with the children. All these have given me enough proof that I can make it in this field of paediatric dentistry. The knowledge I attain from this course will not only be utilized in extracting or filing children’s teeth but I plan on having a series of programs in schools and children’s hospitals. The programs will target not only oral health as pertains to not eating sweets or brushing teeth but will be participative. Children are very brilliant from observation and given a chance, they can teach and ask various questions that bother them on oral health. The teaching and learning will spread also from the children to other children