The Son of David, Part I

So every summer when I was in high school, a few friends and I took a trip deep into the Rocky Mountains. We explored caves, mostly, which is a lot of fun. But we also built fires, climbed rocks, explored the woods, gazed at stars - all the normal stuff. And I have a lot of fond memories from those trips, but one stands out especially.

The trip was led by a guy named Don. And one day, unexpectedly, Don stood up and said, “I’m going on a hike. Anyone who’s interested is welcome to join me.” And then he grabbed his walking staff and made his way into the woods, on a well worn path. I went with him, along with two others, not because I particularly wanted to, but because I was afraid he wouldn’t have any takers and I didn’t want to be rude.

If you’ve never been on a hike in the Rockies you probably think it’s a lot more glamorous than it actually is. Because honestly 90% of the time it’s just hard work and trees, in various states of growth or decay. The air is thinner there, so walking uphill is truly taxing. And while you’re walking you have a decision either to look at the rear end of the guy in front of you, or to look around. And once you’ve seen three trees you’ve seen every tree. Animals typically stay away from hiking paths, and other than the occasional decaying log the scenery there isn’t much to capture your attention.

After about 20 minutes, I was tired and I was bored. So I’m thinking, “This has been a nice little jaunt, when shall we return?” But Don kept going. No joke, for miles. There are so many forks and turns in this trail that it’s not really an option to turn back alone, unless you have a map and a good head on your soldiers, both of which I was lacking. So I followed Don with my buddies deep into the mountain forest, exhausted and regretting every minute of it.

Until, in a moment, everything changed. The tree line broke, the sky opened, and we reached the crest. I honestly don’t have words to express the beauty that unfolded before our eyes. We crossed the summit of the mountain, and on just the other side was a massive green valley, miles and miles of unadulterated life. And that valley folded into a vast forest of dark green pine, which climbed the heights of another lesser mountain, miles and miles away. We could see the whole world from that summit, if the air were clear and our eyes were strong. We could see for hundreds of miles, hundreds of miles of unadulterated life, dark green forests, vibrant valleys, icy cold lakes. One of the few moments in my life that beauty has taken my breath away.

I forgave all the drudgery of that hike for the beauty of that moment. It takes, sometimes, hours upon hours of drudgery to reach the summit, but from that summit you can see for miles and miles.

All the drudgery of that hike

The scriptures work this way, I think. Sometimes you work for hours and weeks and months and years through stories which seem, at the time, relatively unimportant, relatively meaningless. But there are summits in the scriptures, all of the sudden, peaks emerge from which you can with crystal clarity all that has passed and all that will come to be. And every step through the forest was worth it, for the beauty of the summit.

Today, we’re going to read a summit passage - perhaps one of the most important summit passages in the Bible. And from this peak we will see with crystal clarity everything that God has been doing to rescue his people, and everything that God will do.

That’s all the introduction we need. Turn with me to .

The Son of David:

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 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, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 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.

Okay. So let’s get started.

1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 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, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 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. 18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

This passage begins after the peace of David’s reign is

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God. And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

This promise is the summit of David’s life.

I want to ask and answer a handful of questions about this passage, but before we do so I want to demonstrate to you that this passage, this promise, is the climax of David’s story. All of the work we’ve done in Samuel has been building up to this point. And you’re supposed to read it that way. It’s what the author means for you to do. This promise is the summit of David’s life. From this peak we can look back to understand all that God is done, and from it we can look forward to everything God is going to do. And the author wants you to see that, recognize it, and treat it accordingly.

So first off, we’re going to prove that this passage was meant to be read as the summit, the climax of David’s story. We’re supposed to read this promise as the lens by which we understand all that’s happened, and the lens by which we see all that will come to be - and we’re going to do so by looking inside this passage.

First, take a look at the words of God - pick it up in verse 8.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

Remember that these words are a response to David’s intention to build God a house. And if you think about these words against that backdrop, God’s response is kind of funny. “You’re going to build me a house? You are going to build me a house. David, you were a shepherd boy when I found you. And I took you from the pasture, from following sheep, and I made you prince over all of my people.” The irony is made more explicit later, when God basically says, “You’re not going to make me a house, I’m going to make you a house.”

But the irony isn’t exactly what I want you to focus on here. I want you to notice that God begins this extraordinary promise to David by retelling his story from the beginning. He starts with David as we first found him, in the fields following sheep. And so this promise sort of follows the narrative shape of the whole book of Samuel. The shape of this promise is the shape of David’s story. And this is even more visible in David’s response. Listen to his words in verse 18:

English Standard Version Chapter 7

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD!

You’ve brought me thus far. How far? What is David talking about? He’s talking about what God was talking about - he’s talking about how God took a shepherd boy and made him into a king. He’s talking about all of the stories we’ve been reading for the last two years. And when David reflects on these stories, you’re supposed to reflect on these stories, too. Why is David, that God brought him thus far? What is David’s house, that God brought him thus far? The answer is no one. David is a nobody. That’s the point. The work of God to choose a shepherd boy who will one day lead the people of Israel, whose house will be established forever, whose Son will reign on a forever throne over a forever people in a kingdom of peace that never ends - that work is a work of God alone. God is the actor here, and when David asks that questions, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?” David asks that question because he knows it. He knows that he’s done nothing, absolutely nothing, to earn the promotion he’s been given. He looks back on every episode on his life, and he recognizes that all of this is the work of God, building toward a forever Kingdom.

But I want you to focus on the next sentence. David says, “And yet this was a small thing in your eyes.”

Think about those words for a moment, because they teach you something very important. David and God both look back on every episode of David’s life, on David rise from shepherd to King. And David summarizes that miraculous work with these words: “It was a small thing in your eyes.” What does he mean? Read the next sentence: “You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind!”

What do those words mean, “it was a small thing in your eyes?” Look, David sees that God is doing something unimaginably bigger, something incredibly more important, than granting a small kingdom to an insignificant family. He sees that the work of God to establish David’s throne is just the beginning of a worldwide work - a work to rescue the people of God from every tribe and tongue and nation, a work to set them in a kingdom of peace forever. And when he realizes that his ascension to the throne of Israel is just the beginning of a work which will become the centerpiece of all human history, he admits that all that has happened is relatively insignificant compared to God’s promise to save his people by a coming Son of David.

The dialogue between David and God demands that you read this passage as the summit of David’s story. God and David both suggest that all that precedes this moment was building toward this point, and from this point we can see all that God is going to do.

This promise centers on the Son of David.

Now, if this is the case - if this promise is the summit of the story of David, without which we cannot fully grasp all that God has done and all that God is doing, then nothing is more important than understanding it. What does this promise mean? That’s the question we must answer. If we can get a handle on what this promise means, then we will rightly understand everything that’s happened in the life of David, and we will rightly understand everything that will happen after the life of David.

So let’s look closer at the promise of God.

First, God promises that David’s house will become legendary. Listen to God’s words:

English Standard Version Chapter 7

And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.

I don’t think this requires a lot of explanation. David’s name will join a short list of legendary characters whose stories are whispered throughout the world, wherever the people of God reside. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Israel, Moses, David. Everyone knows these names. God’s first promise is that David’s name will be remembered forever.

Second, God promises to make a resting place for his people - a place of peace, free of violence, war, and enemies.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.

The second promise of God isn’t hyperbole, it isn’t a vague generalization. He doesn’t say, “less war.” He doesn’t say, “fewer enemies.” The promise is explicit and direct. God will create a place for his people where they won’t disturbed anymore. There will be no more war there. There will be no more enemies. And they shall have rest.

Third - and this is the final promise of God - God promises that David’s Son will reign over God’s people forever.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 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.’ ”

This is the greatest of God’s promises to David. I’m not just guessing when I say that - it is the bulk of God’s promise textually - making up the majority of God’s words, but also David’s response to this promise briefly addresses the first and second promise, but all of David’s words hinge around God’s promise to establish David’s house. The passage begins and ends with the mention of a house, and the center of the passage revolves around the house of David. The house of David, which culminates in the Son of David, is the centerpiece of this extraordinary promise.

God promises to establish the house of David. One might also say, God promises to establish the dynasty of David - except that dynasties presuppose the life and death of many sons. Yet this promise builds and build until a single son of David is mentioned - and his kingdom will never end. And if you look closely, the son of David seems the be the means by which the other two promises are accomplished. It is the established Kingdom of the Son of David that becomes the resting place of the people of God - this promised resting place for God’s people, free of violence, war, and enemies - this is the kingdom of David’s son. And if God establishes the kingdom of David’s son so that it lasts forever and ever, perhaps David’s great name will be passed from generation to generation because he is the father of the King of Israel?

Solomon is (not) the Son of David

So, if this is true - if this promise is the summit of David’s story - the tool by which we understand all that has happened and all that will happen - and if this promise culminates in a prophecy of a coming Son of David by whose Kingdom will never end and by whom God will give rest to his people- then there is only one remaining question to ask. Who is the Son of David?

Now, look. I can see you rolling your eyes out there. But that’s an honest question, and you should take it seriously, because in one sense the most obvious answer to this question is Solomon.

Take a look at verse 14.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

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.

So here we have a very real admission that David’s heir would sin before God, but that God wouldn’t respond to that sin in the same way he responded to Saul’s. In other words, God is telling David that his promise to establish his house, to establish his kingdom, and to rescue and restore his people wouldn’t fall apart as soon as David’s heir departs from the covenant. God says, “My steadfast love will not depart from him.” Even though he commits iniquity, even though he’ll be punished for violating the covenant, these promises still stand.

So in one sense this promise refers to David’s immediate heir. In one sense these promises look forward the reign of Solomon - the wealthiest, most peaceful, most glorious moment in the kingdom of Israel, just before it shatters to pieces.

But I want to prove to you - from the text of Samuel, and then from all sorts of other passages throughout the Old Testament - that this promise could not have terminated on Solomon. I want to prove to you that not even the author of Samuel wanted you to believe that Solomon was the final Son of David.

To do that, let’s, very quickly, review the three major components of the promise itself.

David’s name will become legendary.

God will make a resting place for his people - a place of peace, free of violence, war, and enemies.

The Son of David will reign over the people of God forever.

So I want to prove to you that the author of Samuel never intends for you to read Solomon as the culmination of these promises. And we can do that by looking at one passage.

Turn with me to .

2 Samuel 12:7–10 ESV

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Notice, we’re only a few pages away from all of these brilliant promises, from all of these unconditional promises about a coming heir whose kingdom would last forever, who would usher in forever peace, without war or violence or enemy.

And then David happens to catch a glimpse of Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop. And then he calls her and takes her. And then he sends Uriah, her husband to die. And this is God’s response to David’s awful sin. Pick it up in verse 9.

2 Samuel 12:9–10 ESV

Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Now, therefore, the sword SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM YOUR HOUSE.

Wait. Hang on. The sword shall never depart from your house.

But didn’t God just promise that the Son of David would bring peace?

How can both things happen at the same time? If Solomon is the Son of David, they can’t. And you’re supposed to read that, and you’re supposed to see it, and you’re supposed to begin searching for a better Son of David. Because if Solomon is the culmination of all of God’s promises, then everything breaks down.

Turn with me to . Read with me.

And look, if Solomon is the promised

1 Kings 11:9–13 ESV

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 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. 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. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

I will surely tear the kingdom from you and I will give it to your servant.

But for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen. Solomon enjoyed, for a moment, glimpses of peace, glimpses of safety. But he turned away from the LORD his God, and he lost the kingdom. Let me be clear, Solomon’s kingdom falls apart.

But didn’t God just promise that the Kingdom of David’s Son would never end? Didn’t God just promise a resting place for his people, without war, or violence, or enemy? How can both things happen at the same time?

If Solomon is the Son of David, they can’t. And you’re supposed to read that, and you’re supposed to see it, and you’re supposed to begin searching for a better Son of David.

Not explicit enough? Turn with me to

Spoilers, guys, the kingdom of Israel is split, and thus begins the slow-motion disaster that is the destruction of the physical kingdom of Israel. The last story in the history of God’s broken people is a vignette of the daily life of the last of David’s royal heirs. Jehoiachin the King of Judah is a prisoner, until one day a foreign kings sets him free, and gives him an allowance, and lets him eat dinner at his table. Oh, how the mighty house of David has fallen.

And yet there’s hope! Read with me, .

Jeremiah 23:5–6 ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

I will raise up for David a Righteous Branch. And he shall reign as King. And my people will be saved, and live in safety.

And what is his name? THE LORD IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Look, if Solomon, or any of the royal sons of David in the ancient Kingdom of Judah, if any of these sons were the Son of David upon whom this prophecy culminates, then the unconditional promise of God falls apart.

And you’re supposed to see that. And you’re supposed to recognize it. And you’re supposed to begin searching for a better Son of David.

I see you guys, and I can tell that you’re not totally, 100% convinced that the authors of the Old Testament meant for you to look forward to a coming King. I can see that you need something even more explicit, something absolutely crystal clear to convince you that the Old Testament is just as vocal about the coming of a great savior King. So turn with me to .

I can tell that you’re not totally convinced, not absolutely c

The order of the Hebrew Scriptures is different than the order we’ve preserved in our Bibles. And that’s a shame, I think, because the order of the Hebrew Scriptures explicitly demands that you set your hope in a better King, a King like David, but better than David, a Son of David like Solomon, but better than Solomon.

Here’s what I mean. The Hebrew Bible begins like ours. And from page one you read the entire history of God’s people, from Adam to the collapse of Judah. From Exodus to Exile.

Our order is very similar to that point. Except, in our order, as soon as you finish Kings, you flip the page to Chronicles. And Chronicles retells the story of the Kingdom of Israel. So in a lot of ways, according to our order, the book of Chronicles seems redundant. I mean, I just read this.

See, Chronicles is the very last book in the Hebrew Bible. So you read through all of the history of God’s people, from Exile to Exodus, and then there’s a shift. And then, after all the hope you’ve set in David’s Kingdom is vanquished, as soon as you believe, without a doubt, that the ancient Kingdom of Israel was a failed experiment, you turn the page and begin to read the prophets.

And the poetic writings of the prophets of God are punctuated with whispers of a better King, a promised heir of David who would fulfill the promise of God and restore the people of God in a forever kingdom.

And if you keep reading, just at the very end, we encounter a retelling of the story of Israel’s kings, as shadows of the one to come.

Read with me, .

1 Chronicles 17:7–14 ESV

Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’ ”

What’s missing?

What’s missing from this promise?

I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

---listen---

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him.

Woah! Hang on! What’s missing?

“When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod of iron.”

And that, friends, is what paying attention matters. Because the author of Chronicles just told you that the promised Son of David would be a son of God, without sin, and he will bring peace to the people of God, and his kingdom would be established forever.

And that means that Solomon didn’t fulfill the promise. And that means that Solomon’s son, and grandson, and great grandson, and great, great, great grandson didn’t fulfill the promise.

No, the promised son of David is coming, and when he comes he’ll bring with him a kingdom of peace for God’s people. And when he come’s we’ll have rest under righteous rule, with no more war or violence or enemy. That day hasn’t happened yet. That day is coming.

What to do now.

Now, listen to me carefully for a moment. If that’s true, then this promise demands a response.

So there it is.

If this is true - if this promise which is the summit of the life of David, which culminates in lavish descriptions of a kingdom of peace, without suffering or violence, under the rule of a righteous heir to David’s throne - if this promise is true and it doesn’t refer to some obscure and ancient dead king of Israel, then these promises mean at least as much to you and me as they did to David.

Now. If this is true, then this promise demands a response.

When you’re opening this book, you’re reading the words of God TO YOU. He’s talking to you in that moment. As we read these words together, we were literally encountering God’s very words to me and to you. And when we read together a promise that God will send a Son of David to rescue his people, and to place them in a forever kingdom without violence or war or enemies, under the righteous reign of the Son of God - you must know that these are promises to you. Because you know the rest of the story. You know that God did indeed send his son, and you know that Jesus bore the wrath of God so that the people of God could enjoy his mercy and grace forever and ever. And you know that Jesus is returning, some day - maybe today! - and you know that on that day he’ll bring Jerusalem with him and his people will enjoy a kingdom of peace forever and ever.

God is here, speaking to you, giving you lavish promises of a breathtaking kingdom under the righteous reign over a spotless King. And that demands a response.

So how do we respond to the breathtaking promises of God?

David will teach us. As soon as he hears these promises, he rushes to the alter of God and he says,

2 Samuel 7:18 ESV

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

2 Samuel 7:21–22 ESV

Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears

2 Samuel 7:25–26 ESV

And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.

2 Samuel 7:27–28 ESV

For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.

How do you respond when a unimaginably gracious God leans over to whisper promises of hope, rest, and peace? How do you respond when you’ve done nothing to earn the favor of God, and yet he gives unconditional promises of rescue and hope? How do you respond when your situation shifts in a moment for darkness to marvelous light?

You worship.

“Who am I, O LORD, that you have brought me thus far? You have brought about all of this greatness, and you’ve taken time to show it to me. Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God beside you.”

Worship, right now, with all the fervor of King David, because these lavish promises of a kingdom of peace and a righteous Son are meant for your ears.

Are you? Are you waiting for the Son of David? Are you preparing for his kingdom?

Is your hope set in the promised Son of David?

Look, if you’re as much as pretending that there is no Son of David. If your life isn’t characterized by preparation for the coming kingdom of the Son of David, I don’t know what you’re doing here. Because that promise is the point of David’s story. We’ve spent all these years exploring the life of David in order to get to this promise, in order to learn that David was just a shadow of a better King. And you’re wasting your time studying this story and you’re wasting your time exploring the Scriptures and you’re wasting your time coming to church if you aren’t actively preparing for the coming Kingdom of the promised Son of David.

So that’s your application. The Son of David approaches. God has promised peace within his kingdom. So wait for him, look out for him, prepare for his return.

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This promise centers on the Son of David.

Solomon is (not) the Son of David

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What to do now.