Part 6: Shepherd, King, and Priest

Introduction: Survey of chart (Creation -> Davidic Covenant)

Creation: The dominion mandate - God’s very good plan for creation was for man and woman, made in God’s image, to rule/subdue/have dominion over all of his works (Psalm 8). Their rulership was not a blank check - they were accountable to God - but neither was it revocable; the fate of creation was bound to that of its rulers (cf Romans 8).

Fallen kingdom: The fall introduced disorder and chaos into God’s “very good” design. As humans rebelled against their maker, so would the ground rebel against them, animals would no longer live in harmony with each other or with man, and relationships between humans, even the sacred institution of marriage, would be tainted with sin. As God had warned, death was the consequence for their rebellion, and Adam, Eve, and their descendents would, in time, surely die. Yet in the midst of failure, God promised a new hope: a “seed” of the woman, who would one day put an end to the deceiver and his anti-kingdom program (aka the “world” (kosmos) in the NT).

Remade kingdom : the Flood was not only an act of judgment, it was a demonstration of God’s commitment to his original creation project, and his kingdom program. Unlike Enoch (who walked with God and was raptured), Noah walked with God and was ordered to build a lifeboat, preserving life through a global catastrophe. The Flood literally reshaped and recreated the Earth (2 Peter 3:6), and the rainbow covenant guaranteed that God would never repeat this kind of water judgement, even as God acknowledged that the “sin” problem still remained in the heart of man. The first covenant of the Bible (a unilateral, unconditional commitment by God) was not made only with Noah, but with all of the animals and the Earth itself - underscoring the commitment God has to his creation. The stipulations of the rainbow covenant - no eating of blood, eating of meat, human government - would serve to inhibit the outworking of sin in the remade creation. This extension of grace to mankind and creation would give space for God’s redemptive kingdom program to continue.

Promised Kingdom: In the wake of the Babel rebellion and dispersion, God chose a pagan shepherd-tycoon, Abram, and called him into a adventure of faith. Once again, God established a unilateral, unconditional covenant: Through Abra(ham) and his “seed”, God would bless the world - Abraham’s descendents would be kings, and a special plot of the Earth would be eternally-assigned to them, and over which they would exercise godly dominion. Abraham’s life demonstrated an astonishing level of faith in God, up to the point of being willing to offer up his miracle child in obedience to Him - and Abraham’s faith was counted as righteousness in God’s sight, giving us our first glimpse of a solution to the sin problem.

Throne for the Kingdom: With the arrival of King David over the young nation of Israel, God’s kingdom program begins to take concrete shape. Here at last was a descendent of Abraham and a seed of Eve, a man after God’s own heart, anointed and called to serve as God’s chosen ruler over his people and their land. In response to the newly-coronated king’s desire to build a “house” for his divine benefactor, God turns the tables in an astounding way. In an act of pure grace, Yahweh God not only declines David’s offer, he also establishes yet another unconditional covenant with David and his descendents, guaranteeing that a rightful king would always be among their line, and that the Davidic kingdom would be an eternal one. The Davidic covenant represents a new development in the relationship between God and man: a father-son relationship, combining discipline for disobedience together with an unbreakable familial bond. David and his seed would be more than servants or worshipers, they would be considered sons of Yahweh (Psalm 89).

David as King in God’s Kingdom program

David as a Messianic Type

David anointed (1 Samuel 16) - he must now be tested and prove himself before the nation of Israel

David’s Shepherding Heart

1 Samuel 17

David as shepherd - God’s affection for shepherds - shepherds as creation care-takers (Gen 1:26-28)

David as champion - man in the middle

David’s faith in God for victory

David’s preparedness - five smooth stones

David’s interest in Jerusalem (foreshadowing)

Other examples - David’s protection of Nabal’s flocks - David’s concern for the people post-census (what have these sheep done) - David’s sympathy for the poor man and the stolen lamb - the good shepherd (not a hireling)

Psalm 23

Yahweh is David’s shepherd

David, as the mediatorial ruler, exhibits (imperfectly) the shepherding leadership that he himself receives from God

David’s Rise to Power

1 Samuel 18 - David & Jonathan - Jonathan’s subversive love for David, recognition of God’s will -

1 Samuel 24

David spares Saul’s life

1 Samuel 26:7-14

David spares Saul’s life again - David will not strike God’s anointed - will not take power for himself in advance of God’s timing - complete confidence in God’s promises

Psalm 2

God will install his king

David’s Priestly Service

2 Samuel 6

Choosing of Jerusalem as capitol

Bringing the Ark

The ephod, offerings, introduction of music (later instituting the Leviticus choirs, musicians)

David pushing the limits of the Mosaic law by taking matters of worship and religious service into his own hands, functioning as a king-priest

Reaction of Michal (representative of Saul’s dynasty)

1 Chronicles 15-16

Psalm 110

Melchezedek - king of (Jeru)Salem - theological geography

David was aware that God’s anointing for kingship also included a priestly role (which was not part of the Mosaic covenant or Law of the King)

David prefigured a coming king-priest figure, who would both rule the nation righteously in accordance with the Law of God, and preside over the worship and spiritual life of the people