Throughout our study this session – From Beginning to Forever: A Study of the Grand Narrative of Scripture – we have been completing a chart on the Status of the Kingdom. The definition of God’s Kingdom is God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule and blessing. We saw that in the beginning God created man and woman and placed them in Eden to rule and reign over His creation so the whole earth might be blessed by Him. After the first couple chose to rule themselves, and the whole earth fell into sin, God chose the Israelites to be His people and established the terms of His rule and blessing with them.
Today, God has expanded rule and blessing to include us, the Gentiles as well. We are also God’s people. But He is still the one who establishes the terms of His rule and blessing.
Throughout our study, we looked at various sections of Scripture to identify what God’s Kingdom looked like at any given point in Scripture. We’ve asked ourselves these questions:
Who are God’s people?
Where is God’s place?
Who is living under God’s rule and blessing?
Depending on the passage of Scripture we read, the answers varied.
There is value in using this framework to help us narrow in on the focus of any particular section of Scripture. So, we’d like to encourage you practice this by as you look at a portion of Scripture and ask ourselves the same questions. We’ve chosen Psalm 136 because it recalls the events of Exodus that we are studying in our Sunday sermon series.
As you read over Psalm 136, notice how God’s people are described. Take note of where they are residing and consider what that must be like for them. Finally, how are they experiencing the rule and blessing of God in their experience?
If you’re like me, once I’ve seen this pattern in scripture, I can’t unsee it! So, I encourage you to be on the lookout for more instances of God’s People in God’s Place under God’s rule and blessing – both in the pages of God’s Word and also in our world today,
Shalom sisters!
Equip Her 