Today's passage of Scripture is 2 Chronicles 30:9 which reads: "For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him."

Today's words from a theologian are from Michael Horton. He said: "Once we truly grasp the message of the 'New Testament', it is impossible to read the 'Old Testament' again without seeing Christ on every page, in every story, foreshadowed or anticipated in every event and narrative."

Our first topic for today is titled "God’s Unique Characteristics (Part 6)" from the book, "Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day" by Dr. Daryl Aaron.

Another attribute of God is his holiness. God is sinless, morally perfect, totally apart from evil. Even further, he is the very standard of moral perfection. Numerous times in Scripture, God says, "Be holy, because I am holy." All laws and commands that come from God flow from and reflect his holy nature.

However, we still have not gotten to the most basic meaning of God's holiness, which is that he is distinct from everyone and everything else. God is unique, in a category all by himself. This is expressed in Exodus 15:11, "Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness?" The answer: No one. Similarly, 1 Samuel 2:2 says, "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." One effect this should have upon us is what it had on Isaiah. After having a vision of God and hearing angels say, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty", he was humble, repentant, and willing to serve God however he could. An understanding of God's holiness will revolutionize one's life.

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Our second topic for today is titled "Theology of the Monarchial Era" from "The Moody Handbook of Theology" by Dr. Paul Enns.

In God's original promise to Abraham, He promised to bless the patriarch, giving him an innumerable posterity. God promised to give Abraham a great name and make him a blessing through his posterity. It is the promise regarding these promised descendants in Genesis 12:2 that is amplified in the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12-16. God promised David that he would have a son, Solomon, who would establish his throne; moreover, David's lineage would be perpetuated, ultimately issuing in the kingdom rule of Messiah, who would have a political kingdom, an earthly rule that would endure forever.

--- THE DAVIDIC COVENANT

The kingdom concept reaches its zenith in the Davidic covenant, which predicts the future millennial reign of David's greater Son, the Messiah. Nature of the Covenant In 2 Samuel 7 God promised David the following: (1) David is to have a child, yet to be born, who shall succeed him and establish his kingdom. (2) This son (Solomon) shall build the temple instead of David. (3) The throne of his kingdom shall be established forever. (4) The throne will not be taken away from him (Solomon) even though his sins justify chastisement. (5) David's house, throne, and kingdom shall be established forever.