David and Biblical Theology

The New Testament Theology

Theological Framework and Image of the Davidic Covenant.

King David is mentioned as a “Towering past figure in the great redemptive story Israel” (Matt. 1:6, 17; 12:3; 22:43, 45; Mark 2:25; 12:36–37; Acts 7:45; 13:22; Heb. 11:32)

He is the source of the royal line and messianic hope for Israel in the time of Jesus. Jesus is often called the Son of David. (Matt. 1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30–31; 21:9, 15; Mark 10:47–48; Luke 1:27)

David was born and raised in Bethlehem

Paul modifies 2 Samuel 7 which is the prophet Nathan delivering a message to David form God. Paul changes it form “I will be his father, and he will be my son” to what is says in 2 Corinthians 6:18, “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

1) He makes the original Davidic covenant plural (son->sons) which shows he is speaking to a community.

2) He includes male and female (sons and daughters) He is showing that the Davidic covenant now rests on the community of Christ as a whole.

We need to view David as a type of the coming Messiah. The role he fills in Israel reveals the role his Messianic descendant will fulfill.

The New Testament suggests that in and through Christ, we as a community enter into the Davidic covenant and in some way, also fulfill the function of David.

Old Testament Theology

Was kingship divinely initiated, or divinely permitted?

Look back to 1 Samuel 8. The people of Israel are demanding that the prophet Samuel give them a King. 1 Samuel 8:7-8 “And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.”

At first glance this makes kingship seems as if it was permitted

Israel asked for a king when in war, this shows that they wanted a visible protection. “Tired of their vulnerability among the nations, the people wanted to experience the military security that a human king with his standing army could bring.” God warns the people that the kind of King they want will take their children and resources for his court and army.

The people of Israel wanted not just a king, but a military king.

Genesis 49:8 ““Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you.”

Genesis 17:6 “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.”

Genesis 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 ““When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Throughout Judges, the want for a king is heavily foreshadowed.

Historically, the people of Isreal are prone to Idolatry and sin.

God continuously has to raise up leaders on a regular basis to save the people of Israel.

Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” This can mean 2 things:

The people did what they wanted to as they saw fit. They worshiped who they wanted how they wanted, etc.

Some people have suggested that when the verse says, “in those days, there was no king in Israel” means that in those days, Israel did not submit to God as their King. However, several lines of evidence suggest that the narrator is referring to a human king and that this king was none other than David and his dynasty in contrast to Saul.

The tribes of Israel were tearing each other apart and splitting off, so the depiction of the King in Deuteronomy 12 suggests that David will unify the tribes once again.

After God’s Own Heart: The Gospel according to David Expectation of Kingship

Therefore, God’s problem with kingship in 1 Samuel is not with the royal office per se, but rather with the Israelite conception of kingship, especially their intention to switch their reliance and allegiance from divine to human king.