“I have come to do Your will, O God!”
4000 years after it was prophesied that He would come, Jesus was born of the family of David to crush the head of Satan (Genesis 3:15). The most important time in human history began when He came in the world and said, “Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.” Hebrews 10:7 (NLT).
God’s will was clear. God wanted Satan’s power over man totally destroyed. To do this, God gave Jesus a body which was of the family of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3).
He was not the first one with such a body. Throughout 42 generations God used bodies from this family to make Himself known in Israel’s history; but Satan used these same bodies for 42 generations to also do his own work. Just think of Solomon. He built a temple for God according to the plan that God had given David (1 Chronicles 28:19). But in spite of the great wisdom and knowledge that God gave Solomon, Satan used women to get Solomon away from God.
“As is written about Me in the Scriptures”
Jesus also received a plan from God’s hand. This plan was in the Scriptures. He received the plan for a new creation, a new holy temple that He should build – not a physical temple as Solomon built, but a temple within His earthly body. A body that was just the same as the ones that had been Satan's workplace for 42 generations (Matthew 1:17).
But now Jesus would overcome Satan’s power completely, led by the Holy Spirit. The result would be a body where Christ was in complete control and obedient to God’s laws in all things – a body in which Satan would be destroyed forever. This work was extremely great.
Jesus started this work with these simple words: “Look, I have come to do Your will, O God.” Then God was very pleased with His beloved Son. Up until that time all worship had been done outside the body - with gold, silver, copper, special clothes, impressive customs and sacrifices. This all disappeared along with the old priesthood and the altar. The legalistic rules that came by following the letter of the law were replaced by a new ministry hidden in Jesus' heart, with new inward sacrifices and a new priesthood.
All worship moved from outside of the body to within Jesus’ body. Jesus Himself became the priest who brought the sacrifices that God showed Him in Himself. When God condemned a sin in Jesus’ human nature (Romans 8:3), Jesus put to death the sin that was condemned - He resisted this sin until it was dead. This is what Paul calls the “dying of the Lord Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:10). This death made an end to the sinful passions and desires in human nature – something that was impossible before (Hebrews 10:4).
“I have come to do Your will”- Obedience to God’s commandments
This is how Jesus silently built the new “temple” where God could live – stone by stone; no one saw it, and no one heard it (Ephesians 2:22). By being obedient to God’s commandments, Jesus kept fellowship with God. The Word became flesh and the light was revealed, as is written in John 1:9 and 14. All this happened by following these simple words that Jesus spoke in the beginning, “Look, I have come to do Your will, O God.”
Just think that we have such a leader and example! Romans 8:18 says that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us!
In the Bible it is not only written of Jesus, but also of us. Here we also see His plan for us, and that is to become like Jesus (Romans 8:29). God be praised that the Spirit can make this so alive for us that we love Him and willingly follow such an example with great joy.