Focal Passage: II Samuel 7:8-16
In addition to God’s promise of blessing and salvation through the lineage of Abraham, God also promised King David in II Samuel 7 that there would always be one of His descendants sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. God has always remained faithful to the assurances He has given.
Nonetheless, a king does not currently sit on a throne in Jerusalem. David’s descendants would reign first over a divided kingdom and would eventually fall to destruction and exile. The people would return; the city would be rebuilt; yet, a Davidic king was not placed on the throne. Is this an example of a promise God has not kept? Of course not.
Just as with the other promises of the Old Testament, God’s ultimate fulfillment for His people is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, God’s only Son.
Moore
God is at work. David’s rise to become king over Israel occurred by the hand of God. It is the Lord Jehovah Himself, not political maneuvering nor military conquest, who took David from the pasture to the palace.
Each step of the way, God patterned, protected and prospered the future King. This the Lord promises to continually accomplish for the faithful.
Through this blessing for the king, God commits to work on behalf of His people according to His purpose. When God’s people look back through our past, we see His handi- work all throughout it, bringing us through the good and the bad by His grace and mercy. That should give us the faith and hope to confidently face tomorrow.
God establishes a people as His own. As the Lord blessed David, He also confirmed His covenant with Israel as His people and established the Promised Land for them.
Through David, the Lord would provide a rest from the enemies that surrounded the nation. David’s military exploits would expand the territory of Israel to its greatest extent and temporarily fulfill God’s provision of a Promised Land. David’s descendant, Solomon, would enjoy a reign of peace and prosperity.
Yet, God’s promise to David in these verses project an even greater plan that encompasses the whole of humanity and is eternal in scope. David may have won enough victories to purchase peace for a season in Israel’s history, but his greatest descendant vanquished sin and death to establish an everlasting hope and place for God’s people in His Kingdom.
God appoints His king over His kingdom. In these verses, the Lord enacts the Davidic covenant, assuring the king that his descendant would be the one to build the temple, whose kingdom would prosper, and who would enjoy the faithful love and protection from God’s own hand.
The immediate fulfillment to this promise is, of course, Solomon. As with many promises of God, however, the Lord confirms an even greater fulfillment.
Jehovah ensures that David’s kingdom and throne will endure forever. How is this possible since there has not been a Davidic king to sit on a throne in Jerusalem since the Babylonian captivity?
Jesus, the Son of David, the Son of God, fulfills God’s everlasting promise of a King. He built an even greater temple (His sacrifice on the cross) and was raised from death in victory to ascend to God’s right hand. One day Jesus will return to take His rightful place on the throne in Jerusalem, ultimately fulfilling God’s promise to David. B&R
