April 30, 2023 - The Davidic Covenant
Notes
Transcript
We come today - to the last Sunday in April - and BECAUSE that’s the case, if you’ve been around long enough, you know that during the month of MAY - every year, I preach on various topics - that I feel are important enough to REVISIT - year after year.
With that said - starting next Sunday - we’ll - AGAIN - break from our trek through 2 Samuel - and begin THIS YEAR’s MAY sermon series.
But that’s NEXT week...
THIS WEEK - we still have work to do in 2 Samuel.
And this week - we come to - The Davidic Covenant.
This Covenant that God made with David - is one that I’m sure we’ve all HEARD of...
YET - even so - today - I want to BEGIN - by talking about Covenants - in general...
…and how GOD has USED Covenants to
Assure His people of His faithfulness
Reveal to mankind Himself, His character and His Plan of Redemption
The God that we serve - is a Covenantal God.
A COVENANT - is more than a contract.
A Covenant is not merely an exchange of promises...
It involves a swearing of solemn oaths
A Covenant is not limited by terms of an exchange of property (this is yours, THAT is mine)...
A Covenant involves an exchange of life (I am yours, YOU are mine).
Where a contract can be based on profit and self-interest...
a COVENANT calls for self-GIVING loyalty - and sacrificial love!
Contracts are temporary...
A Covenant is permanent!
And so - NO WONDER we see God - entering into Covenants with His people!
Now if we were to look at the main Covenants in scripture…we’d see DIVINE purpose IN them.
SLIDE:
Adamic Covenant
Noahic Covenant
Abrahamic Covenant
Mosaic Covenant
Davidic Covenant
New Covenant
From the Adamic Covenant - with Adam...
To the NEW Covenant
… We see God’s ECONOMY of Salvific History...
And there are SO MANY things to see within the Covenants!
We can view MAJOR theological themes in the Covenants...
SLIDE: (Stages of Family Relationship) - With each Covenant expanding in scope
Adamic - Marriage
Noahic - Household
Abrahamic - Tribe
Mosaic - Nation
Davidic - International Kingdom
New - Universal Church
And so in THIS we see this PATTERN of expansion…or maybe GOSPEL impact...
Not only THIS - but we can also see how the Covenants HELP US to understand SO MUCH of what’s in the Bible...
Let’s look at the Covenants AGAIN - but think about the Gospel...
The Atonement of Christ...
SLIDE: What Biblical Themes do we see?
Adamic - Judgment / Mercy
Noahic - Grace / Mercy
Abrahamic - God’s Plan to Bless All Peoples / God’s Provision of Sacrifice (Jesus)
Mosaic - His Holiness / Our sin (Jesus’ life and death) / God’s Provision
Davidic - Jesus’ Rule - An eternal throne / forever
New - Law written on heart / Faith
And so we see these amazing things when looking at the Covenants of Scripture -
But - we need to know this isn’t just a cool thing for academics and scholars…to write papers about in the 21st century...
If we think about HOW GOD used Covenants - we see that Covenants were used as...
Signs (the rainbow (Gen 9) - Circumcision (Gen 17))
Agreement
Relationship
Written Scripture (Paul calls the Torah - the Old Covenant (2 Cor 3))
But not ONLY this - the concept of COVENANT is used to help us UNDERSTAND many Biblical truths...
The Atonement:
If we want a DEEP understanding of the IMPLICATIONS and SIGNIFICANCE of Christ’s work on the cross, then we need to understand the Covenants.
If we go back to the Adamic Covenant…between God and Adam…we read this...
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
Fast forward…to the next chapter...
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
In this Covenant - we see God bring DEATH into the equation.
If they EAT of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - they would SURELY DIE!
Well - they DID eat of it - as we know...
And the result of that was that Spiritual DEATH came to mankind...
BUT ALSO - physical death.
From that MOMENT ON - Adam and Eve began - dying.
Fast FORWARD further - and we come to the Abrahamic Covenant...
God’s PLAN of redemption...
to make Abraham the Father of a great nation...
And to SECURE THIS promise...
God enters into COVENANT...
A Covenant - of blood.
During the Covenant ceremony - we see God walk the Blood path!
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
HERE - God walks the blood path - taking the curse of the Covenant UPON HIMSELF!
AGREEING to be TORN to pieces - IF ISRAEL failed in this agreement!
What’s NEXT?
The MOSAIC Covenant...
What do we see?
The Mosaic Covenant was a covenant between God and His people Isreal.
It was God revealing to His people - WHO HE WAS...
AND
WHO THEY WERE - before Him.
But before Moses and the people even GET to Mt. Sinai - The people - if you remember - begin complaining about being THIRSTY...
What does God do -
He provides…and reveals Himself to His people as - THE HEALER.
The people CONTINUE ON - and they begin to complain (AGAIN) about being thirsty!
Israel ALSO gets into a battle with Amalek…and God defeats Amalek for the Israelites...
IN THIS - God reveals Himself to His people as - THEIR VICTORY...
SO they hadn’t EVEN made it to Mt. Sinai at this point, and God had revealed Himself to His people as -
The Healer
The Victory...
Then they make it to Mt. Sinai.
And the Law is given.
What was the Law?
It was a TUTOR
• The Law is a Holy Mirror that God holds up to us and says - "OK, do you see yourselves now? Do you see who you are before Me? -- YOU'RE ALL CURSED!
• The Law reveals our sin, and in doing so, curses all those who are under it....pursuing it.
• So God gave us the Law - - NOT to curse us...
• But to show us - THAT we ARE cursed!!
And so the LAW points to our NEED…our NEED for a savior...
AND - the Law has a desired result...
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
God says - you (ISRAEL) - shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation!
A PEOPLE - set APART from the world… UNIQUE...
Displaying TO THE WORLD - the Character of Christ - the Holiness of Christ - ...
NOW - as we know - the Law of God is NOT BOUND to the OT.
It’s purpose?
To SHOW US our sinfulness...
So the Law of God - JUDGES us!
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
The LAW speaks to those - - UNDER the law...
It speaks to US - the world!
those UNDER the law!
And check out - this truth about Christ...
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,
Well - if Jesus was born UNDER the law...
Then that means that the LAW spoke to Jesus!
And that NEEDED to happen - so that Jesus would be JUDGED by the law!
And in BEING judged by the law...
He was found - INNOCENT of It’s JUDGMENT!
He was - GUILTLESS!!
BUT EVEN SO - That wasn’t enough to FORGIVE US of our sins...
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
And here it is!
Under the LAW - which came by WAY OF COVENANT…we see how BLOOD fits in!
So WITH the Mosaic Law, we find a Sacrificial System - where blood sacrifice was the norm.
But even in the giving of the Law, we find this in Exodus 24...
And listen to the language used!
3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.
6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.
7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Without the shedding of blood - there is no forgiveness of sins...
BUT - there was a problem!
What problem?
4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
- SO think through this!
- Here we have - HEBREWS - New Testament - referencing something!
It’s referencing the BLOOD of bulls and goats!
Well - it’s referencing the Mosaic Covenant!
So we know from this - that the blood of the Old Covenant - could NOT take away sins.
Back to Exod 24:8
8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Notice the language - Moses sprinkled the blood of the Covenant on the people...
Blood that COULD NOT save them...
NOW - fast forward to the Last Supper...
If we go to the Last Supper - How does Jesus TEACH the disciples about the significance of what He’s about to do?
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
So - NOTICE the language...
How does Jesus teach his disciples about the significance of what He’s about to do?
He teaches them - Using Covenant language...
He takes them back to the Mosaic Covenant...
The LAW of God...
YET - there’s now a DIFFERENCE!
Let’s look at each passage - together on the screen!
SLIDE:
Exodus 24:8
“the blood of the covenant”
Matt 26:28
“My blood of the covenant”
And we can SEE the difference here...
The ONLY difference.
The blood of the OT covenant - not ABLE to save...
But JESUS’ blood of the NEW Covenant - ABLE to save!
Jesus’ blood - shed for His sheep - His people - covering their sins - no longer UNDER LAW...
but NOW - under grace!
And FROM the Mosaic Covenant - we find our way to the Davidic Covenant…made between God and Israel - regarding David’s throne.
SO let’s dive into this particular covenant… (read below)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your [offspring](=singular) after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish [his kingdom]. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the [throne of his kingdom forever.] 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and [your kingdom] shall be made sure forever before me. [Your throne shall be established forever.]’ ” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
• The same 3 promises that we saw with the Abrahamic Covenant, we see reflected in this Covenant as well.
• If you remember (Abrahamic Covenant: Land, Descendants, Blessing)
• We see the same thing here.
• In verse 10, jumping up a bit we read:
10 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,
• And so here we see a reference to a place where the people of Israel will dwell.
• Then we see God get into the descendants of David…
• Verse 12 says -
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
I will raise up your [offspring](=singular) after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish [his kingdom]
• So God's referring to a descendant of David's…We KEEP going...
13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
• But then God kicks it up a notch...He says - 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the [throne of his kingdom forever.]
• Ok, so this descendant that's being referred to here is going to build a house for God's name, and His throne will be established forever.
v14 - I will be to him a father - and he shall be to me a son.
WHEN HE COMMITS iniquity, I will discipline him...
NOW -
• Is this referring to David's son - Solomon?
MY ANSWER - Yes, and no!
• I believe the immediate context would have been regarding Solomon...
WHO was clearly a SINNER...
v14 references this descendant will commit sin.
And the Bible confirms Solomon was a sinner.
• Listen to what it says in 1 Kings 11:11-12:
11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.
12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
• Clearly Solomon's a sinner...it says here that he didn't even keep God's covenant.
• And so the Kingdom cannot be established as long as David's descendants are disobedient.
• But we can't forget the overriding theme of this covenant - that God will establish, thru the line of David, an everlasting Throne and Kingdom.
- And SO - I ALSO think - Actually - I KNOW - that v14 (let’s look at it again) - - is ALSO about Jesus.
14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
How do we know?
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
- There it is!
The author of Hebrews QUOTES 2 Samuel 7:14....
- APPLYING that text to the Messiah - Jesus Christ!
And so think through that!
Jesus Christ - was UNDERSTOOD by early Christians - as in DIRECT connection to the Davidic Covenant!
So God SAID - in 2 Samuel 7 - A coming Offspring of David will come - and He will be a SON to God the Father...
WELL - Fast forward to Jesus’ ministry…and what do we read?
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
NOW - this phrase by God here - in the INTRODUCTION of Jesus to Israel…at His baptism...
Finds it’s CONTEXT in the Davidic Covenant!
And so God is EMPHATICALLY saying - Jesus Christ is THE ONE - ON WHOM my Covenantal promise - IN the Davidic Covenant - RESTS!!
Isn’t that amazing!
THAT’S AMAZING!
• 3 times in this Davidic Covenant - we see this phrase – forever
• And so when God declares that something will be forever...eternity is taking shape.
• And so who can accomplish this?
• See Israel learned over the centuries following David and Solomon that disobedience in her king always brought the nation to ruin.
• BUT...they also knew that GOD SAID that the throne of David would be established forever.
• So they knew at some point, someone would come along who would fulfill the covenant.
• A succession of imperfect kings could never fulfill the promise...
• ...and so if this was going to happen, God Himself would have to rise up a righteous, obedient Son of David who would take the throne.
• Who could possibly fulfill this covenant?
• No not a President....
· Not an athlete...
· Not the Pope
• WE JUST SAW WHO IS WAS - Of course.... Jesus Christ.
• Now, with this being Christ...let's connect some dots.
SLIDE: The Davidic Covenant: Fulfilled by Jesus Christ
The Davidic Covenant
The Davidic Covenant
• Jesus Himself claimed He would build a temple.
• And part of the Covenant in verse 13 says - 13 He shall build a house for my name,
• Well, in Mark 14:58 we read this:
58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
• Jesus also refers to this in Matt. 26:61, 27:40; Mark 15:29, and John 2:19-22)
• Jesus also claimed to possess an eternal throne.
• Part of the Covenant in verse 13 says - I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever...
• In Matt. 19:28-29 we read this:
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
• Jesus also refers to having an imperishable Kingdom.
• In john 18:36 we read:
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
• So God here in the Davidic Covenant says that He will establish David's "house", "kingdom", and "throne"...forever.
• Another pointer that this Covenant is pointing specifically to Christ is Hebrews 1:8:
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
• So the surety of the Covenant with David lies ultimately in the fact that God Himself would come as King and sit on the throne.
• So even with a Covenant that has conditions...those conditions are met by - - God.
Now let’s look at…
SLIDE: The Davidic Covenant: In Light of David’s Sin
The Davidic Covenant
The Davidic Covenant
• So - there's something that we have to address here.
• We all know that David was a sinner right?
• He had some doozies!
• Adultery with Bathsheba...
• The murder of her husband Uriah
• Here's the question -
SLIDE: Question:
How did God simply forgive David of his sins, prior to Jesus coming to earth?
David lived BEFORE Jesus walked the earth…and yet David STILL SINNED…
· How did God handle those sins?
• Remember the story?
• Nathan (the prophet) comes to David and tells him a story about a guy with some sheep...
• ...David ends up indicting himself, and then Nathan says – “You’re THAT man!” and then David says:
• "I have sinned against the Lord"
• What's Nathan's response?
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
• So God here - - justifies the ungodly.
• Let's pretend you send your son off to the mall one Saturday... and hours later you get a call that a crazy guy went INTO the mall, and killed a bunch of people - your son included.
• They take this CRAZY guy before a judge, and he admits to doing it.
• The judge says - ok, you're free to go...you promise not to do it again?
• How would you feel??
Be honest…how would you feel??
• Any judge who would render such a verdict wouldn't be a judge a day longer.
Listen to how the Bible describes that sort of Judge…
15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
Well WAIT a MINUTE...
Let’s read Romans 4:5
5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Let’s look at these verses TOGETHER!
SLIDE: BOTH VERSES
• The book of Proverbs calls it an abomination to justify the ungodly, and yet that's what God does for you and me everyday.
• And so God is radically unjust in justifying the ungodly!
• Now, do you see the problem that God had in justifying David (sinners like us)?
• Does America wrestle with this question? · Does AMERICA think to itself – HOW CAN GOD JUSTIFY US – we’re SOO EVIL???
· NO America doesn’t contemplate this..!
• INSTEAD – everyone complains about how God is so mean to us...when bad things happen
• Not that He is gracious and UNJUST in forgiving us!!
SLIDE: Question:
What did God do to solve the problem of the glory of His justice being compromised in forgiving the sin (adultery and murder) of David?
• HE KILLS HIS SON!
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
• HE KILLED HIS SON!
• When David tramples His name in the dirt, and God comes along and says - "I forgive you..you may still be King"...
• The WHOLE of Creation LOOKS down and cries - NO, until they see 1000 years later God saying...
• ..."This is how seriously I take my forgiveness of David...I slay My Son in his place."
• This is the Covenant Keeping God we serve.
- The Abrahamic Covenant points to the PLAN of God’s Redemption - through SACRIFICE of Himself!
- The Mosaic Covenant points to the need for a BLOOD sacrifice - WORTHY to save!
• And the Davidic Covenant points to the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
• ...His eternal Throne
• ...His eternal Kingdom
• ...Established forever.
1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
• The very same mercy and faithfulness that guarantees David an eternal kingdom...
• ...can guarantee YOU all the joy and righteousness and peace OF that kingdom.
We had the Celebration Service for Bob Goll yesterday...
And it was evident that while there were REAL TEARS - and REAL PAIN in that room..
There was ALSO - REAL JOY!
And REAL REASON to celebrate!
- The same mercy and faithfulness that guaranteed David an ETERNAL kingdom...
ALSO guaranteed the JOY and PEACE in THIS ROOM - yesterday!
It was the LOVE of the Covenant Keeping God!
God is saying to you this morning: if you will come to me empty-handed and hungry...
· ...willing to receive what I give, then I will bind myself with an oath to treat you forever with the same mercy and faithfulness that I have demonstrated in my covenant with David
- LIFE itself - awaits you!
SUMMARY:
The Davidic Covenant
Jesus Fulfills the Davidic Covenant
We see - The Sufficiency of Jesus Christ
Jesus IS SUFFICIENT: WHY?
Jesus Fulfills the Davidic Covenant - and (His throne (reign) has been established forever) - His THRONE is sufficient!
We’ve seen - The Sufficiency of His Work on the Cross - to COVER SIN…- It’s EFFECT - ETERNAL - His forgiveness is - SUFFICIENT!
We Serve a Covenant Keeping God (His Work - His faithfulness and His mercy saves us – His covenant with Abraham said that even if Abraham (the people of God) BREAK the covenant, God would take the curse on Himself!)
Can we praise Him for this!!??
Can we TRUST Him?
- May we do both! - May we LIVE for Him…
Let’s pray