Chp.73 - David Is Cut Out Of The Wood By His Own Family Tree

David's last name should be "Wood." Justin believes that David was maliciously taken out the Wood's family tree, by taking the Wood out of David's confession. Justin has good evidence that this is so, but it bears no reproach on the whole counsel of God, but it does, however, blaspheme the Spirit of God who breathed these words through David! It makes David's confession questionable, nevertheless it bears no reproach on the Word of God; for we have other passages that prove that Christ reigned through the crucifixion. It changes not the inerrant and infallible Word of God, nor does it change David's justification before God. For the passage in which these words were cutout, continues to judge all peoples, including Israel, with equity. If the Jews did remove this from David's confession, the LORD knows, and the Lord will judge righteously.

"Here Trypho remarked, “Whether [or not] the rulers of the people have erased any portion of the Scriptures, as you affirm, God knows; but it seems incredible.” “Assuredly,” said I, “it does seem incredible. For it is more horrible than the calf which they made, when satisfied with manna on the earth; or than the sacrifice of children to demons; or than the slaying of the prophets. But,” said I, “you appear to me not to have heard the Scriptures which I said they had stolen away. For such as have been quoted are more than enough to prove the points in dispute, besides those which are retained by us,4 and shall yet be brought forward.” Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 235). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. The passage that is in dispute is out of Psalm 96. Justin quotes the words of David as these, according to his own version of the Septuagint, "Tell ye among the nations, the Lord hath reigned 'from the wood,'" but argues that the Jews have created a new version, leaving out 'from the wood,' saying, "Tell ye among the nations, the Lord hath reigned."

"Now no one of your people has ever been said to have reigned as God and Lord among the nations, with the exception of Him only who was crucified, of whom also the Holy Spirit affirms in the same Psalm that He was raised again, and freed from [the grave], declaring that there is none like Him among the gods of the nations: for they are idols of demons." Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 235). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin makes it very clear this cannot be speaking of anyone of Israel's history who may have reigned over the nations, for none has, except it be by this man Jesus who was crucified by Pontius Pilate as king of the Jews in mockery of his claims. But whose resurrection from the dead, and ascension into the heavens is now being attempted to be silenced through malicious intent by those synagogues of Satan who claim they are Jews, like David, and are not (Rev.3:9). Justin draws Trypho's attention to the next verse, immediately following this one, that declares the joy of the heavens; for the world has been established on the 'wood' stake of this claim, for he reigns from the heavens upon it. This is what Justin means by the testimony of the Holy Spirit, for it cannot be denied and affirms the testimony of this man Jesus who walked among the gods and was found to be superior than them all in every work.

Maranus comments on even those scribes of church history who have removed 'from the wood' out of Justin's quotation of Psalm 96. He says, "It is strange that “from the wood” is not added; but the audacity of the copyists in such matters is well known." What Maranus means is that since Justin is clearly defending his version of the Septuagint, the Christian scribes should have kept 'from the wood' where Justin intended it. But because historically they believed that Justin was wrong they have left it out of his quotation, this too may have been in error, though not intentionally, to discredit Justin's testimony. Justin deserves to be heard and carefully discerned, since he has faithfully and consistently defended the faith with high credence in all of his writings. We should permit Justin to speak for himself, and not remove or put words into his mouth.

It is my personal opinion that Justin has ample evidence that 'from the wood' belongs in this context. According to the Septuagint, verse 12, which is also in agreement with Justin's quote, says, "Let all the trees 'of the wood' be glad before the Lord," and our latest version, ". . . then shall all the trees of the wood exult before the presence of the Lord:," gives me contextual evidence that 'from the wood' should not have been removed as it gives this portion of the Psalm meaning. What are the trees of the wood? What causes these trees to rejoice? What is in them (the trees) that exult before the presence of the Lord? These questions can only be answered by understanding what it means to be 'of the wood.' David surely understood this, for it was the Spirit of God who breathed these words out of the depth of his bare and naked heart before the LORD his God. David surely knew what it means to be "of the Wood." This was the joy of his song, this was the subject of his song, and this was the root of his song. He sang of the Wood that was stripped naked of its bark and left for dead by the malicious tornado of the evil heart of the Sanhedrin.

The Hebrew noun yaar is singular and taken from an unused root verb yr which means to be rugged, difficult. Being in the singular and a descriptive symbol of the Lord's "reign" in verse 10, it should be understood in its verbal root as a literal root of a tree that grows up with difficulty and in a rugged nature. The Septuagint uses the Greek noun drymou which illustrates an oak-coppice, but only in relation to its roots as each tree grows up from the base of a stump that was cut down. Therefore, in the singular, 'of the wood,' it is referencing the base or trunk of an oak tree according to the Septuagint. These are trees growing up ruggedly with much difficulty out of this one base or truck of the roots that are in the depth of the ground.

But David wants us to see the verbal action of the Hebrew verb malak (to reign) as it relates to the perspective of the LORD. Again this reign, according to Justin, is 'from the wood.' So, the Hebrew tense qatal marks the stem of this reign as completed, as Justin rightly quotes, as if this reign is past tense, "the Lord hath reigned from the wood." But the NKJV and the ESV translate it in the present tense. Both of these are true, as the Lord has reigned and continues to reign! But David's emphasis is not from the perspective of the abiding sinful nature that keeps him from the perspective of the eternal throne of God. Rather it is from the perspective of this man's victory over this sinful nature and his exaltation upon the throne of heaven. This tense, being in the qatal, is from the completed act of God's justice against sin and death, in the death of the Beloved, cursed to a tree of wood (Jn.19:30;Deut.21:23;Gal.3:13).

"It is finished," was his cry! Thus, David sees his victory and the Lord's wooden stake that claims the title deed to the earth, and more specifically Jerusalem, but cursed is he who removes the landmark (Deut.27:17). Thus, ownership belongs to this man Jesus, called Christ, who staked his claim upon the perfection of the Law with his very life, but is coming again, in resurrection power (Matt.24:30;Mk.13.26;14:62;Lk.21:27;1Thess.4:17), as David perceives from the very throne of heaven, to judge all the nations with a rod of iron who have removed 'the wood' of his righteousness that claims the whole earth.

All thieves and robbers will be judged without mercy who cut off the people of his inheritance (1Thess.4:6;Rev.6:10;18:20)! Repent O Jew of this evil, for David is your father and you must honor him and his confession, then his inheritance will be yours! God knows, as Trypho perceived. What say you? Are you a tree that has grown out of this wood (Rom.11:17-36)? What difficulty it is to be a fruitful tree that that is born out of this rugged nature; surely it is impossible apart from 'the Wood,' that is the root, of this family tree (Isa.11:1,10)!

Justin has been expounding many of those prophetic words of Isaiah that singles out Jesus as the Christ, yet Trypho is still under the spell of darkness and unbelief. There are many passages that have not been removed that speak 'of the wood' upon which the suffering slave has died, but it was the eternal seed of life from which the tree of life has born fruit in the darkness of this world. Jeremiah 11:18–19 (NKJV) 18 Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. 19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.” Jeremiah 11:18–19 (Brenton LXX En) 18 O Lord, teach me, and I shall know: then I saw their practices. 19 But I as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, knew not: against me they devised an evil device, saying, Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more.

As we looked upon this before, when Justin used the Septuagint version to speak of the foreshadow of the bread and cup of the Lord, we should follow again his train of thought connected to 'the wood' that was placed in the LORD's bread to make him fruitless and be remembered no more by the enemies of the Lord's Name. Nevertheless this was his victory, as it had been known from before the foundation of the world! It was the predetermined plan of God that the bread of heaven be mixed with the rugged nature and difficult way to life in which the children of God are reconciled to the glory of heaven (Matt.7:14;Acts 2:23;Rom.5:10;Eph.2:16). Truly, to eat this bread and drink this cup is the salvation of the children of the LORD (2Cor.5:20)! For we are the trees that have grown out of this wood stump whom the enemies of the Lord have cut down, but we shall live forever in the glory of this man's Name! Are you of David's Wood? Are you giving your children's bread and inheritance to be sacrificed at the table of the government's public school system? These are synagogues of Satan set up to sacrifice your children's souls to the idols and doctrines of demons (Rev.2:9,13,24). Do you want to offer your children upon the table of Life in Christ's Name? Come out and be separate (holy), says the LORD (2Cor.6:17). Psalm 96:8–13 (NKJV) 8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. 9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns [from the wood]; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. 13 For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.