An Eternal King

Have you ever heard of the English king who tried to command the sea to stop rising?

King Canute was the powerful king of England, Denmark, and Norway during the early 11th century. Surrounded by courtiers who told him his dominion and authority was limitless—King Canute decided to make a point—he had his throne brought down to the shore and placed before the rising water.

Sitting on his throne with his court around him—he commanded the sea to stop rising—historians quote him as saying, “You are subject to me, as the land on which I sit is mine. I charge you, therefore, not to rise on my land, nor presume to wet the feet of your master.”

And church do you know what happened? The sea rose and wet his feet.

The power of even the greatest kings is limited and far from absolute.

We are on week 3 of our Christmas series, Promise Kept, where we are tracking God’s promises through the Bible and seeing their fulfillment in Christ.

Our text this morning is primarily 2 Samuel 7:12-17, and in this text we see God making promises to David that can hardly be fulfilled by an earthly king alone.

Let’s read the word together—this is God’s holy Word:

2 Samuel 7:12–17 ESV

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. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 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 my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Pray

As we consider this promise and it’s fulfillment I want you to consider I. God’s Faithful Promise (12-14a) and II. Christ the Eternal King (16-17).

First, let’s consider…

God’s Faithful Promise (12-14, 16-17)

As we just read, God says to King David through the prophet Nathan, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.”

This promise comes within a context and I don’t want us to miss it because the context reveals some truths we need to hear and hold onto.

First, King David was chosen by God as a man “after God’s own heart” to replace King Saul who had disobeyed God and sought glory for himself.

Along the way to becoming king, David marries princess Michal, Saul’s daughter. And so when David is King—Michal from the house of Saul is queen.

And then in 2 Samuel 6 at the very end of the chapter an interesting detail is given.

In 2 Samuel 6 David is bringing the ark of God, the throne of God’s presence in the tabernacle, to Jerusalem. There is a huge procession of musicians and there are sacrifices to God being made in worship, frequently and extravagantly, along the way.

And the Bible tells us that King David is dancing and worshipping God with all his might. Michal, the daughter of Saul sees this and despises David for what she considered “unkingly” behavior.

So, Michal comes out to meet David after he blesses the people and sends them home and basically says, “You looked like a fool dancing and leaping before the Lord.”

And David basically says, “I’m the fool that God chose over and above your father and I will gladly look foolish to serve the LORD.”

That’s the pastor Jacob paraphrase version

And then right before God gives this promise to King David in chapter 7 we learn this about Michal, “And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.”

Why is this important?

One, it highlights that God will always do what He says. God is utterly rejecting the line of Saul as he said he would. God said to Saul, “Your kingdom will not continue.” And the House of Saul dies with the barrenness of Michal.

Secondly, we see here an often repeated theme in scripture: Where human strength fails; God’s strength prevails.

Michal, David’s wife is barren—but God is about to make a promise that his own offspring will take his throne.

Once again we see God showing himself to be strong, moving through humanity in such a way as men never would.

God uses the foolishness and the weakness of the world to show the strength of his grace.

Throughout scripture God delights to use the barren, the marginalized, the weak, the poor, and those who have morally failed to accomplish his will. And here in the story of David in light of this promise of an eternal throne we see it again—God highlighting Himself over and against humanity—though Michal be barren God will provide for David.

Why does God do this?

Why does God show over and over again—throughout history—that He is strong and wise and lifted up?

Is God gloating? Is He a bully standing over the weak? Or having sport at the expense of the foolish?

No—emphatically no!

God does this because of His love for His people. God reminds us that He is higher than us for our good.

As a fallen people—we are quick to trust ourselves to our own ruin.

Scripture reveals this over and again—and you and I know it is true in the story of our own lives.

How quickly we spurn the wisdom of God and the authority of God preferring instead our own.

But friends scripture is clear about the trustworthiness of our own hearts—Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

And Jeremiah 17:10 answers, ““I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.””

God points out the folly of man and the wisdom of God and calls to us, “Come to me when your ways fail you—my ways are pure and good and in them is life—come and repent to your Father who loves you.”

That’s what we are seeing here in verse 12-13—a promise from God that only God can fill—that the people of God would be drawn to Him as they should.

It’s a call to David and Israel and Us to see that God is worth trusting.

And with great fatherly patience God shows this to us time and time again.

Some of the hardest moments of parenting are when I have to remind my kids that they should listen to me. “I’m the father—I’ve lived longer! And haven’t I proven that I’m trustworthy? And don’t they owe me that respect!”

These are the things my heart struggles with when my kids are questioning my council and my plans. As an imperfect father who is a sinner. How much more must God feel this way?

But not so with our heavenly father—he is pure and righteous—loving and gracious and kind. He gives us no reason to distrust Him and He doesn’t have to bear with us and yet He does because He delights to show himself as the loving Father and great salvation of His people.

He says to us, “Though you wander—though you go astray—I will be faithful to my promises. You can count on it.”

The beginning of our text this morning shows us the faithfulness of God who keeps His promises despite the weakness of His people. And God’s faithfulness is seen in this promise to David because David excels in foolishness after it is given.

King Solomon who would be king next came from David’s wife Bathsheba—do you remember how David and Bathsheba got together? Here’s the cliff notes:

David walking along his roof sees Bathsheba who is bathing—instead of averting his eyes he has her brought to him—they commit adultery and Bathsheba gets pregnant.

Does David repent? No—he tries to cover his sin by calling Uriah, her husband from the battlefield to “give a report”. It’s all for show. David’s plan is to call Uriah back so that he’ll go home and be with his wife. Then the baby can be passed off as Uriah’s and David’s sin will be hidden.

But David has a wrench thrown into his scheme—Uriah is more righteous than King David—he spends the night at the kings gate instead of going home. Uriah says, “How could I go home to my wife while the men of the army are sleeping in tents away from their families.”

Does David repent? No—he gets Uriah drunk that night hoping to lower his inhibitions—hoping that wine will erode his resolve and that Uriah will go home. But it doesn’t work. Uriah is true to his word.

In the face of Uriah’s righteousness does David repent? No—instead he murders Uriah by having him put on the front lines of battle. He tells his general, “When Uriah is at the fiercest part of the battle—withdraw from him so that he is killed.”

What wickedness!

And what should we expect here? Judgment! Removal of the promise! And end to King David’s line!

God sends Nathan the prophet to David with a story that David’s Shepherd heart understands:

Nathan says, “David there was a poor man who had a little ewe lamb that he loved dearly—this man raised this lamb with his children and let the lamb eat from his own food and drink from his cup and the lamb would lie in his arms.”

This lamb had this poor man’s heart. And in that same city, David, there was a rich man who took that poor man’s lamb and slaughtered it for his guests. Though the rich man had plenty he killed this poor man’s lamb and took it away from him, David.

And David is outraged—

2 Samuel 12:5–6 “Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.””

And in what I think is one of the most dramatic lines in scripture Nathan thunders, “You are the man!”

And what does David do? The Holy Spirit convicts him and finally, at this David repents—he sees his sin and begs his God for forgiveness.

And God forgives David—though David rightly spoke that he deserved death for his sin—God forgives him.

As appalling as David’s sin is even more scandalous is gospel grace—though the sin of God’s people is great the grace of God is greater.

And maybe we think God’s mercy here is too great—how could God forgive David after all that? How could God accept his repentance so easily? Where is the judgment of a holy God against such sin?!

Friends, hear this clearly: God did not sweep David’s sin under the rug. His adultery was judged. His murder was judged. And the final payment was not forgotten—it was laid on Christ at the cross, where David’s guilt was paid in full by the blood of God’s own Son.

Sinners find forgiveness in Christ not because they are worthy but because Jesus is. And this is good news to you and I who are great sinners like David.

Forgiveness comes to us on the merit of Christ as a gift—this is what we rejoice over, at Christmas time. The baby born in the manger is proof that God is keeping his promise to redeem us. And as we continue I want you to see that the birth of Christ is proof that God is keeping his promise to David here in 2 Samuel to give him an everlasting throne.

Let us now see…

II. Jesus, the Promised King. (14b-15)

Let’s look again at verses 12–15:

2 Samuel 7:12–15 “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. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 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 my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.”

As we read this, some parts clearly point to Solomon, David’s immediate heir. And other parts point beyond him—to the promised One who would come centuries later. This is a “now and not yet” promise—we see this often in biblical prophecy—it has layers of fulfillment.

How does this promise to David find fulfillment in Solomon?

God says this promise will be fulfilled by your offspring. Solomon is David’s son, his immediate offspring and was raised to inherit the throne of his father.

God says this person will build a house for my name. Solomon builds the temple, a house for the Lord’s name. It was a wonder of the ancient world.

God says I will establish his kingdom. Solomon’s reign brings peace and prosperity to Israel.

In these ways we see Solomon as an answer to this prophecy but we also see Solomon fail like his father before him.

Solomon fails in ways that reveal the limitations of an earthly king:

His heart turns from the Lord in the latter part of his reign.

He multiplies foreign wives and idols, contrary to God’s commands.

After his death, the kingdom fractures—and Israel becomes divided in civil war.

Solomon’s reign ultimately shows us that even the best human king cannot perfectly fulfill God’s promises. Human kings are limited. Human hearts are weak. Human kingdoms crumble.

And so this promise must look for a future fulfillment. And we see that in Christ.

Christ: is the true, eternal fulfillment.

Matthews gospel shows us Jesus is of the lineage of King David like Solomon. But He is David’s greater Son.

He builds a greater temple—Solomon’s temple was destroyed. Herod’s temple was later destroyed. But Christ builds a lasting temple that cannot be destroyed.

The temple of God’s presence is now His own body, and through Him, the Church is God’s dwelling.

Solomon was devoted to the Lord for a time and then his devotion waned and his heart went after false idols and gods.

But Jesus’ heart is wholly devoted to the Lord without ceasing.

Solomon brought peace over Israel for a time but it ended when Solomon ended.

But Jesus brings true peace, peace with God that lasts for eternity.

And Solomon’s reign lasted for a time and then he died like his father David and all kings before him.

But Jesus reigns forever. His kingdom does not fracture; it does not fail and it does not end.

Where Solomon’s rule was limited and flawed, Christ’s reign is complete, perfect, and everlasting. Where human kings stumble, Christ triumphs. Where human strength fails, God’s power shines.

Friends, Christ is the promise given to King David: God’s promise points to a king like no other, a king who fulfills God’s covenant in ways earthly kings never could. This is the promise kept, not in human hands, but in the hands of the eternal Son who is King!

And as we meditate on this—Christ as the eternal King who sits on David’s throne—let us come soberly to the realization that Christ is that king now!

In an age where the holiness of God and the majesty of God is downplayed. In a culture that would rather think of God as an equal if they think about Him at all—let not God’s own people fail to bow before their king.

You and I now are subjects to Christ our king. We are his people bought with his own blood. His authority lies on us and we are not our own.

It is a poor citizen of the kingdom that lives in defiance against their king. A kingdom full of subjects like this call scorn down upon their kings name.

So let us be a people who turn from our sin—who repent—who live our lives in devotion to our king. Let our lives show that our king is good, and honorable, and worthy of praise.

Let our stories draw all people to the mercy of our King—let us live as the redeemed among those who need redemption—let us boast of our salvation among those who need saving.

Let us live in the love of our gracious God who loved us to the point of death on the cross that our sins may be forgiven and we may be called children of God—citizens of the kingdom of Christ.

Christ is king! And we are his. And in that truth we rejoice. Amen?

Conclusion

At the beginning of the sermon I told you about King Canute who commanded the sea to stop and ended up with wet feet. I didn’t tell you what he said afterwards as a lesson to his court.

He rose from his throne and said, ‘Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings.” And from that day he never wore his golden crown again but always had it displayed upon the head of Christ in his chapel.

Canute was right. David’s power was limited. Solomon’s power was flawed. And our power is painfully small.

But the promise of God in 2 Samuel 7 is that He would send a King whose power is not empty, and whose throne is not worthless.

A King who conquers sin. A King who cannot be stopped by death. A King who can speak to storms, and they bow at His feet. A King who sits on an everlasting throne.

So as we look to Christmas and celebrate when this king was born upon earth let us hear the good news:

The tide does not obey us. But it obeys Him. And He is the King who has come—and the King who will come again. And the King who rules forever. And we are His people. Let all the people of God say amen.