What did Jesus mean when He said, “I have come to do Your will, O God?”

“I have come to do Your will, O God!”

4000 years after it was prophesied that He would come, Jesus was born of the seed of David, full of faith and the spirit of victory, to crush the head of His archenemy, Satan. (Genesis 3:15.) The most important period in human history began when He entered the world and said, “Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – to do Your will, O God.” Hebrews 10:7.

God’s will was plain. It was nothing less than the total crushing of Satan’s power over man. For this purpose, God made a body for Jesus, which was of the seed of David according to the flesh.

He was not the first one with such a body. Throughout 42 generations God used bodies from this seed to reveal Himself in Israel’s history; but Satan also had opportunity to continue his work in these same bodies for 42 generations. Just think of Solomon. He built a temple for God, according to the plans which God had given to David through an understanding in writing, by His hand upon him. (1 Chronicles 28:19.) Nevertheless, in spite of the abundant wisdom and knowledge that God gave to Solomon, Satan used many women to conquer him.

“In the volume of the book it is written of Me”

Jesus also received a plan from God’s hand in the volume of the book. He received the plan for a new creation, a new holy temple that He should build – not outside of His body as Solomon did, but within His earthly body. Such a body had been Satan’s field of activity and domain for 42 generations. (Matthew 1:17.) Now, however, Jesus was to conquer Satan’s power completely, led by the Holy Spirit. The result would be the body of Christ, with Christ in complete control and subject to God’s laws in all things – a body in which Satan would be annihilated forever. This work was exceedingly great.

Jesus started this work with these simple words: “Behold I have come to do Your will, O God.” Then God concentrated all His good pleasure on His beloved Son. All gold, silver, copper, special attire – yes, all external, human, impressive customs and beautiful exteriors vanished, and gradually all human greatness and legalistic and formal religiosity was eradicated. (Isaiah 53:2.) Also the old priesthood and the altar with the sacrifices disappeared. However, in the hidden man of Jesus’ heart dawned a new, sacrificial ministry and a new priesthood.

Everything was moved from outside of the body to within Jesus’ body. Jesus Himself became the priest, who brought the sacrifices God showed Him. When God condemned a sin in Jesus’ flesh, Jesus responded with what Paul calls the “dying of the Lord Jesus.” (2 Corinthians 4:10.) Jesus executed the death sentence over the sin that was condemned. This death made an end to the passions and desires, the sin in the flesh – something that was impossible before. (Hebrews 10:4.) The cross that Jesus bore each day became the altar on which the blood of His self-life flowed constantly.

“I have come to do Your will:” Obedience to God’s commandments

This is how Jesus silently built the new temple for a habitation of God – 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. All this came about by these simple words that Jesus spoke in the beginning, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” Just think that we have such a forerunner! On the resurrection morning it was revealed that all the sufferings that came along with this work were not worthy to be compared with the glory that God revealed in Him. (Romans 8:18.)

In the volume of the book it is not only written of Jesus, but also of us. We, too, have a writing by His hand with a plan, or an image, of the Son. God be praised that the Spirit can make this image so living for us that we love Him and willingly follow such a conqueror with great delight.