A hidden prophecy? You be the judge.

As I was continuing with my Bible studies the other day, I found myself once again in 1 Samuel Chapter 19. I was reminded of an in-depth study I did a year ago on two verses in this chapter, verses 13 and 16. I shared my thoughts and findings with a couple of brothers in Christ, good servants of the Lord, but until now, I haven’t shared this with anyone else.

So, for your perusal, thoughts and meditations:

1 Samuel 19:13, 16 (ESV)

¹³⁾ Michal took an image^[a] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 19:13 Or a household god

¹⁶⁾  And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.

What struck me as odd (and really bothered me, as well) is how could David, a man after God's own heart, have (or allow his wife to have) idols in his home knowing how much God hates idols and idolatry? So I did a thorough search in other versions and they all pretty much say the same thing.

Then I looked in the NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint) copy I had downloaded off the Internet. This is the only place I could find anything that makes any kind of sense, while also possibly revealing an amazing, hidden prophecy:

1 Samuel 19:16

And the messengers come, and behold, the cenotaph is on the bed, and goat’s liver by its head.

Now that leads to the question: what is a cenotaph???

An internet search defines the word:

The term cenotaph comes from a Greek phrase which means “empty tomb.” (The Wise Geek)  It is also defined, to paraphrase, in modern terms, as an (empty) grave marker.

So now verse 16 reads:

And the messengers (used of angels as well as humans, in Greek) come, and behold, the empty tomb

Nowhere else in this particular version of the Septuagint or any other version of the Bible could I find the word cenotaph.

I will leave the reader to draw their own conclusions, but it appears to me that this might possibly be in reference not to David, but to his descendant, none other than Christ Jesus.

Acts 2:22-35 (ESV)

²²⁾  “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 

²³⁾  this Jesus,^[a] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 

²⁴⁾  God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 

²⁵⁾  For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
    for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
²⁶⁾  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
    my flesh also will dwell in hope.
²⁷⁾  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One see corruption.
²⁸⁾ You have made known to me the paths of life;
    you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹⁾  “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 

³⁰⁾  Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 

³¹⁾  he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 

³²⁾ This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 

³³⁾  Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 

³⁴⁾  For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
³⁵⁾ until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

Footnotes:

Acts 2:23 Greek this one