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Welcome to my ROLLED SCROLL study, where I follow cultural and literary images found in the Bible in an attempt to unearth God’s meaning in His pattern of usage.
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CHAIR
Just about eleven o’clock, the door-latch was raised quietly, and in stepped the master. He threw himself into a chair, laughing and groaning, and bid them all stand off, for he was nearly killed—he would not have such another walk for the three kingdoms.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
I love the passage in Wuthering Heights about Mr. Earnshaw’s long-anticipated arrival home, with the ragamuffin Heathcliff tucked into the folds of his greatcoat, and his family crowding around him as he sat down before the fire in his wingback chair in a posture of authority and rest.
This scenario of sitting down is played over and again throughout Scripture, too, with the furniture of the chair sometimes mentioned and other times not. Several words in the original Bible languages translate into English as “seat,” “bench,” “chair,” “throne,” and so on. We can group the occurrences of a person taking a seat, or sitting down, using the two broad categories of authority and rest.
Authority:In the Bible, the symbolism of sitting often carries the meaning of responsibility in a political, social, or spiritual sense. A high-ranking official might seat himself at the city gate—like Lot, who was visited by two angels at the entrance to Sodom before its destruction, or like a man of honour hobnobbing with the town elders (Gen. 19:1; Prov. 31:23; Ruth 4:1-2). Esther’s relative and a royal advisor with special privileges, Mordecai took his place at the gate of King Xerxes (Esther 2:19-21; Esther 5:1). Judges and priests sat down when they pronounced or instructed, and God sits as the ultimate Judge (Judg. 4:4-5; Judg. 4:9; 1 Sam. 1:9; 2 Chron. 19:8). One day we will stand before the bema (judgment platform) of the seated Lord to receive reward for works done in His name (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10).
In Bible times people often sat, too, as they were learning; for example, Jesus implored His friend Martha—busily preparing food—to instead join her sister Mary at His feet and listen to His words (Luke 10:38-42). He Himself sat to teach—beside the sea, on the mountain, in the temple (Matt. 13:1; Matt. 5:1-2; Matt. 15:29; Matt. 26:55). As Jesus and His disciples reclined around the table (likely upon cushions or divans), He taught them lessons about humility in seating oneself at the lowest place, and about the New Covenant of His blood (Luke 14:7-11; Luke 22:14ff; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). He described the Kingdom of God as a banquet where the faithful sit at table (Matt. 8:11; Matt. 22:1-3ff; Luke 14:15; see also Isa. 25:6).
(As an aside, one of the Greek words for chair—kathedra—appears in the New Testament only three times, once in referring to the “seat of Moses” that was filled by the hypocritical Jewish teachers of the Law, and twice to the dove sellers’ “seats” overthrown by Jesus along with the moneychangers’ tables in the temple [Matt. 23:1-3; Matt. 21:12; Mark 11:15]. The subsequent development of this word kathedra is historically interesting: the Latin phrase ex cathedra came to designate the validity of instruction issuing from the “throne”of the papal chair—a doctrine challenged by the Protestant Reformers who believed in Scripture as authoritative over church tradition.)
The throne in Scripture signifies both human power and the kingship of God. For example, Egyptian pharaohs and Babylonian rulers sat on a royal dais (Exod. 12:29; Jer. 43:10). Solomon’s ivory-and-gold chair was known for its splendour, and the Lord is pictured as sitting on His throne with the host of Heaven surrounding Him (1 Kings 10:18; 2 Chron. 9:18-19; 1 Kings 22:19; Ps. 7:7; Ps. 113:5). The throne of David on earth will one day be occupied by the Lord Jesus Himself, who will reign in peaceful sovereignty over the whole world and finally put an end to the “church-versus-state” debate as He rules truly ex cathedra (1 Kings 2:33; Isa. 9:7; Isa. 16:5; Luke 1:32). The Son now sits exalted beside the Father’s throne in heaven, as we see in Daniel’s vision of the Ancient of Days as well as in the gospel narratives (Dan. 7:9-14; Matt. 19:28; Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69). Paul expanded on the royalty of King Jesus and our future place in His enthroned glorification (Eph. 1:20-22; Col. 3:1).
The writer of Hebrews compared the never-ending work of the Jewish temple priest (who stood to administer his earthly service day after day) with the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (who sits, His work completed forever):
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven . . . Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross . . . (Heb. 8:1 and 12:1-2 ESV)
The biblical picture of the seated Christ symbolizes His ultimate religious and royal authority as the Prophet, Priest, and King foretold throughout Scripture.
Rest: In the Bible, sitting represents not only authority but also rest. Current society loves leisure, which often bears little resemblance to the rest prescribed throughout Scripture. We know how to work and how to play, but we often neglect the tranquility of “sitting down on the inside.”
The concept of rest harks back to the first book in the Bible. In the beginning, God worked vigorously in creating the world, and then He sat down and put His feet up; that is, He “rested” (Hebrew: shabath or “sabbath”; Gen. 2:1-3). But Adam and Eve’s fall into sin caused the restlessness of all mankind, and so in Moses’ day God instituted the covenant sign of the Sabbath, marking Israel as God’s chosen people and reminding them that He had brought them out of slavery in Egypt and was leading them to their future home of rest in the Promised Land of Canaan (Exod. 31:13-17; Deut. 5:15; Gen. 12:1, Deut. 3:18-20). They could depend on Provider God, for this rest is a matter of ceasing from human endeavour and worldly striving:
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength (Isa. 30:15 ESV)
The beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. (Deut. 33:12 NIV)
We, too, find this restful peace with God—this “sitting down” at the table of fellowship with Him—when we come to Him through Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:12-14). Then we can rest from anxiety, for God has promised to meet our needs and give us internal restfulness when we cast our cares on Him (Isa. 26:3; Matt. 6:25ff; Phil. 4:6-9; 1 Pet. 5:7). Jesus calls to us:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt. 11:28-29 ESV)
The blessing of a peaceful, joyous relationship with God comes to those who refuse to “sit in the seat of scoffers” and instead meditate on God’s Word (Ps. 1:1). This Sabbath rest of relationship promised to the Israelites can be ours, as well, if we soften our hearts to hear His voice urging us to cease from our own labours and trust instead in the work of Christ on the cross (Heb. 3:3-11). Moses instituted the sacrificial system of the high-priestly offerings for the sins of the people, who longed to be “at home” in the Promised Land (Heb. 10:11-14). But Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice as Great High Priest ushers us today into the Sabbath rest of His presence—where, because of His free gift of salvation, we can come boldly before God’s throne to be eternally seated in heavenly places with Jesus (Heb. 2:6; Heb. 4:16; Rev. 14:13).
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These short literary articles tied to the Bible explore what God might have been saying in His pattern of usage for each symbol. English rendition of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek varies with translations (e.g., “scroll” is sometimes interchangeable with “book”); however, the quality and underlying meaning of the selected emblem remain consistent across versions. Sketches are by Lorenda Harder. I recommend the website of Dr. Grant C. Richison for thorough expository Bible study: www.versebyversecommentary.com.
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