The New David - His House and Kingdom
Now when the king lived
in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but
the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that
is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
But that same night the
word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord:
Would you build Me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the
day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been
moving about in a tent for My dwelling. In all places where I have moved with
all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel,
whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me
a house of cedar?” ‘Now, therefore, thus you shall say to My servant
David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from
following the sheep, that you should be prince over My people Israel. And I
have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from
before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great
ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will
plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.
And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I
appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your
enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a
house… And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me.
Your throne shall be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:1–11, 16).
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ!
In the New Testament,
one certainty about the identity of the Messiah is that He is a royal
descendant of David. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus acclaims Him “the Son of
David” even before His lineage is given. In the Gospels, those who appeal to
Jesus as Christ often refer to Him as the “Son of David.” Jesus compares
Himself to David in the narrative of Samuel, where David and his army ate the
holy bread from the temple (1 Samuel 21:1-6) to justify allowing His disciples
to eat the grain they had plucked from the field on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:3-4;
Mark 2:25-26; Luke 6:3-4). Moreover, in a well-known conversation about the
Messiah, even Jesus’ opponents acknowledged that Christ is “the Son of David” (Matthew
22:41-46; cf. Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44).
Luke’s narratives
leading to Jesus’ birth also emphasize His connection to David. Gabriel
announces that Mary’s child will occupy “the throne of His father David” (Luke
1:32). John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, prophesies that salvation is to
come from “the house” of God’s “servant David” and that his son will go before “the
Lord” to prepare His ways (Luke 1:69, 76). The angel of the Lord announces
Jesus’ birth “in the city of David” (Luke 2:11; cf. John 7:42). Paul also
emphasizes Jesus’ descent from David (Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8), and this was
no doubt part of his “proving that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 9:22; cf. Acts
17:2-3). In Revelation, Jesus is identified three times as the descendant of
David’s house (3:7; 5:5; 22:16).
Of course, this
emphasis on the Messiah as the descendant of David follows the trajectory already
outlined in the prophets. The identity of the Messiah is so closely bound up
with David that at times, the prophets simply call the promised Savior “David”
(Jeremiah 9:6-7; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5). The New Testament
affirmation of the Davidic identity of the Messiah certainly draws on the prophets’
depiction of a specific descendant of David as the coming Savior, King, and
Shepherd (Isaiah 9:6-7; 16:5; Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9; 33:15; Ezekiel 34:23-24;
37:24-25). This messianic prophecy connected to David is first seen in our Old Testament
lesson from 2 Samuel 7.
For so much of his
life, David had been in the business of war and fighting. A courageous warrior,
he had carried out some of the most successful military campaigns in Israel’s history.
But now he found himself in a unique situation, at least as far as his life was
concerned. David experienced a time of rest and peace because “the Lord had
given him rest from all his surrounding enemies” (2 Samuel 7:1).
As David relaxed and
enjoyed his beautiful new palace, truly fit for a king, something struck him as
wrong. It didn't seem right that he should be living in such splendor in a
palace with walls lined with beautiful cedar while the ark of the Lord was kept
in a tent. David determined he would build a house for the Lord! It would be a
house of wood and stone—a permanent place for the ark of the covenant to be
kept. There was nothing selfish about this thought; he was not out to make a
name for himself. He wanted only to glorify God.
David shared his plan
for the house of God with Nathan, his good friend and counselor, who also
happened to be his pastor. Nathan was most enthusiastic about David’s proposal.
“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you” (2 Samuel 7:3). But
both David and Nathan had failed to consult the Lord.
That night, the Lord
handed down a message for David through Nathan. The message was this: “Are you
the one to build Me a house to dwell in? Did I ask you to do this for Me? Is
this something I’ve said I’m eager to have done?" These were challenging
words for Nathan to pass along or for David to hear. But there was no mistaking
what God was saying. His answer was no.
It wasn’t that God was
punishing David for something in his past. And it wasn’t that God had no use
for David. It was just that it wasn't God's plan that David would build a
temple for Him. God had other things for David to do. “David,” he said in
effect, “I’ve appointed you to be a king, not a builder of the temple. You have
been given the gift of ruling over My people. You’re a man of war, a brilliant
military strategist. I’ve blessed you in such a way that all your enemies have
been subdued. But your hands are stained with blood, and I want a man of peace
to build My temple, a house for My name” (see 1 Chronicles 28:3).
But God’s no to David in one area was not to
be taken as a no in every other area of his life. God sometimes closes one door
so He might open another more suited to us.
The Lord then made three
promises to David (2 Samuel 7:9b-16).
The first of these
promises is that David would have “a great name.” There are only three great
names in the Old Testament” Yahweh (the Lord Himself), Abraham, and David. At
his call from Haran, Abram was promised a great name (Genesis 12:2). The
promise to David of an everlasting kingdom is similar to the promise to Abram
that he would be a father of kings (Genesis 17:6). The great patriarch of
Israel was also promised a descendant who would be the royal work of conquering
the gates of his enemies and through whom all the nations of the earth would be
blessed. In addition, the promise to Abraham included the land of Canaan for
the people of Israel (Genesis 12:7; 15:7,18), a promise reiterated to David (2
Samuel 7:10). It is impossible to escape the conclusion that David had been
designated Abraham’s heir and had received the same promises first given to the
patriarch.
The second promise was
that the Lord would “appoint a place” for Israel and “plant” them there (2
Samuel 7:10-11a). This also was part of God’s promise to Abraham. It was fulfilled
in part during the days of Israel's conquest of the land under Joshua. However,
it would not be wholly fulfilled until God chose a place to put His name and
dwelt there (Deuteronomy 12:4-7). The Lord would fulfill this promise by
delivering Israel and David from oppressors and enemies and by David's
descendant constructing a house for His name (cf., 2 Samuel 7:12-13). With the
coming of the ark to Jerusalem, God had already begun the final steps in
keeping the promise concerning the land of Canaan, and it was logical that
David wanted to complete it by building a temple for the ark that bore God’s
name (c. 2 Samuel 6:2; 7:1-2). Eschatologically, the prophets looked even
farther ahead to the permanent home of all God's people in the new Jerusalem in
the new heavens and new earth.
The third promise (2
Samuel 7:11b-15) concerns God making a “house” for David. The Hebrew word
translated "house" can refer to an extended family or household (2
Samuel 7:18), a family domicile (e.g., 1 Samuel 1:19), the tabernacle (1 Samuel
1:7) or a temple (2 Samuel 7:5, 6, 7, 13) as God’s house, or a royal palace (2
Samuel 7:1-2), but the contextual emphasis here is on another of its meanings,
a royal dynasty (2 Samuel 7:11, 16, 19, 25, 26, 27. 29).
The Lord would “build a
house” for David (2 Samuel 7:11b) and raise up one of David’s descendants (2
Samuel 7:12-15). This descendant would come from David’s “own body” (2 Samuel
7:12a). The Lord would “establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:7a). The descendant
would “build a house” for the Lord’s “name” (2 Samuel 7:13a). The Lord would
“secure… His kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:13b). The descendant would be the
Lord’s son, and the Lord would be his father—and would discipline him as a
father would (2 Samuel 7:14). The Lord would not remove His “favor” from the
descendant as He had from Saul (2 Samuel 7:15). David “house,” “kingdom,” and
“throne” would last forever (2 Samuel 7:16). It would be an eternal kingdom.
The immediate
fulfillment of those words was that Solomon, David’s son, would oversee the
building of the temple. But included in that promise was an even greater
promise. God said, “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever
before Me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Obviously,
someone greater than Solomon is meant here. It is none other than Jesus Christ.
Of the coming Savior, the prophet Isaiah wrote: "Of the increase of His
government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over
His kingdom, establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever” (Isaiah 9:7). In the days of His ministry,
Jesus made it clear: “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew
12:42).
This promise to David
was like the one made to Abraham. Only now was the promise more clearly defined.
"David, the Savior will come from your descendant and your throne will be
established forever in Him."
Anyone who has ever
heard the Christmas story knows how this promise was fulfilled. As the account
begins, we hear how Mary and Joseph went down from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the
city of David, because they both were of the house and line of David. Mary
would be the Virgin from when comes the Messiah. Mary will be the mother of
Jesus. The promises to David, indeed all the promises of God to His people, were
fulfilled when Mary conceived and gave birth to a Son and called His Name
Jesus. For indeed, He saved His people from their sin. Christ has come! We are
saved!
The new David, Jesus, rode
into Jerusalem as king, humble and mounted on a donkey to the shouts of “Hosanna
to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna
in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9). The Son of Man overturned the tables and drove
out the moneychangers who had made His Father’s house of prayer a den of thieves
(Matthew 21:13). The King of the Jews was nailed to a cross for the sins of the
world (Matthew 27:37). As David prophesied, the Lord did not abandon his Son’s
soul to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption (Acts 2:30-31). After three
days, Jesus raised the Temple of His body from the grave. It rose majestic and
beautiful, a holy and precious dwelling place (Matthew 26:61). Having ascended
to the Father’s right hand, David’s Son, yet David’s Lord, has put all His
enemies under His feet (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34). One day, our King will return
in glory to raise the living and the dead and take all believers in His name to
His kingdom, where we will dwell with Him forever in the new Jerusalem temple.
Go in the peace of the
Lord. Serve your neighbor with joy. For Jesus’ sake, you are forgiven for all
your sins.
In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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