A Servant Receives Gods Promise
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· 11 viewsGod promised that He would give His people the true King they needed, and fulfilled that promise in Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
So I was standing in line the other day at this store for like “forever”. It seemed like an eternity before I finally got up to the check out..
Anyone every had an experience like that? Anyone else ever said something similar, if not out loud you were thinking it. And it truth I was probably only waiting for about 3 minutes but in my impatience I labeled that 3 minutes as an “eternity”.
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
In the instant gratification of our microwave oven, drive thru window, next day delivery world we have grown to expect that things happen quickly. Manufacturers and marketers have picked up on this and most every advertisement you see claims to make something in your life go faster. So that “You have more time for the important thing”. And as we have grown to expect “faster” we have come to value it, so much so that waiting as long as 3 minutes seems like an “eternity”.
“Eternity”
Something that literally goes on forever an ever without end. We just don’t have a good lens to understand something like that, let alone the far reaching implications of it. In one sense we talk about eternity as if it is some distant time frame but the at the same time is moving through our right now…and now…and now…and on and on because we are in the midst of it but it just keeps going on forever. It is “eternal”.
I have grown to
That why it is so hard to wrap our minds around the concept of something truly lasting for an eternity. We just don’t have a good lens to understand something like that, let alone the far reaching implications of it.
Galatians 3:16
was waiting forever for him to finish doing whatever the other day for a salesman
We typically talk about eternity as if it is something that is going to start in the future and then just keep going, but the truth is that “eternity” is moving through our right now…and now…and now…and on and on because we are in the midst of it but it just keeps going on forever. It is “eternal”.
this is pointed to Abraham
Did you know that God designed us to exist eternally? Of course not in these broken bodies and this broken world but God designed us to be with Him in His eternal state. That is why has given us this wonder and curiosity about eternal things. God made Solomon the wisest man to ever live and he said:
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiates 3:11
We were created for an eternal existence, but we are not equipped to understand all that God has done and is doing. It is a mystery to be lived and discovered, but it is only a mystery to us. God already knows what will be, he is already there…I know…blows the mind. We are so locked in time and space that our wiring starts to short circuit when we start thinking about how God is so different than us.
But we should take great comfort in knowing that we have a God that we cannot fully comprehend. If we could fully understand everything about God then that would make him less than us. We can’t fully understand all that God has created, he has made everything beautiful IN IT”S TIME, but the more we uncover the more we find we have to learn.
Rope illustration???
But know that just because we cannot understand God fully does not mean that we cannot understand Him truly. We will never know everything that God knows, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t know God. We need a God who is greater than our level of understanding. We need one who is greater than our feeble level of existence in this finite world. You and I live one moment at a time, but the great “I AM” always is.
been written.
Tension
Tension
The reason that I have attempted to explode all our brains with these existential ideas so early in the morning is that having a basic framework for eternal things is foundational to the application of our text for this morning. In our Gospel Project series we are working through the life of David and today we will be taking a look at another one of the major covenant promises of God.
We make promises to one another and they are easily broken, because we don’t have the power to see into eternal things. But God does. I can promise you that I will be on time for something but I don’t know because I can’t see into the future. But God can, and He does.
The reason that we can trust everyone of God’s promises is that he already knows what is going to happen. It is all a part of his master plan, his plan to bring his people back into a untainted, unstained, sin free relationship with Him that will display his creative glory more radiantly than any other way that the story could have been written.
This is important to every Christian, because all of our our hope rides on faithfulness of God’s eternal promises.
So everytime we look back in the Old Testament and see God promise something that came true in the New Testament it should it continues to ride on the faithfulness of our God. We don’t have any hope apart from the work of God in our lives, so the record of his promises being fulfilled in this world is something that should increase our trust in Him, grow our love for him, and sober us up when it comes to how we approach our Lord, our Savior and our King.
If He can’t really know will happen throughout eternity, then how can he deliver on his promises? And typically when we don’t fulfill our promises, the consequences are small, but the promises of God are such that without them, we would have no hope, so the record of his promises being fulfilled in this world is something that should increase our trust in Him, grow our love for him, and sober us up when it comes to how we approach our Lord, our Savior and our King.
Open your Bibles up with me to and we will learn more of our promise keeping God together. It is on page 259 in the Bibles in the chairs. As you are turning there, I will pray.
At the beginning of 2 Samuel, both Saul and his son Jonathan who David loved were killed and after a short claim to the throne by one of Saul’s other sons, David is established as the King of Israel. With the now united forces of Isreal David was able to complete the conquest of Jerusalem and even set to the task of bringing the and is found dead and 2 Samuel begins David is now on the throne in such a way that there are no immediate threats to the Kingdom of Israel. God had brought about a time of peace.
Well to better understand this we are going to look at some of the most important promises that God ever made to humanity. We will spend most of our time looking at the promise that God gave to David after he had been fully established as the King of Israel. If you were with us last week then you know that we are skipping ahead some in the story. Last week David was on the run as the current King Saul was trying to chase him down to put him to death. David had the perfect opportunity to end Saul’s life, but he chose instead to show mercy to the Lord’s anointed. Through of series of events, battles and wars David is now on the throne in such a way that there are no immediate threats to the Kingdom of Israel. God had brought about a time of peace.
Now remember David had been actively serving as a military leader in one form or another ever since he defeated Goliath. He had been fighting either for or against King Saul for years, and now God has given the land peace. So what does an active guy do when he finds that he has accomplished everything on his “to -do list”?
Truth
11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
If you were with us last week then you will notice that we are skipping ahead some in the story. Last week David was on the run as the current King Saul was trying to chase him down to put him to death. David had the perfect opportunity to end his conflict with Saul so he could stop running.
Saul was in a completely vulnerable position
David’s friends said that God gave him this opportunity
There would have been minimal bloodshed in the battle
And frankly King Saul deserved to be removed from power as he had become a blood thirsty tyrant who was harming God’s people more than helping them
So everything David saw in the opportunity seemed to say go, but David chose instead to show mercy, and to allow God to judge between him and this other person. We recognized that we could be in situations that would require the same.
And if you went home and read through the rest of 1 Samuel, like I suggested, you would have encountered a series of chases, battles and wars where you saw David’s power, honor and prestige raise higher even as the influence, leadership and sanity of King Saul dropped lower and lower.
Then 2 Samuel begins with David mourning over the death of both King Saul and his son Jonathan, whom David had a deep brotherly love for. Then one of Saul’s other sons laid claim to the throne for a short period of time until David was finally recognized in the position that he was anointed for as young boy. David’s leadership united all of Isreal and they were able to defeat the Philistines and bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.
This final journey for the Ark of the Covenant is recorded in Chapter 6 and we are not going to spend a lot of time on this but I do want to mention it because it connects with a text we covered at the beginning of 1 Samuel. Remember when God judged the sons of Eli the priest because they were using their priestly position to do all kinds of evil. They brought the Ark of the Covenant into battle without God’s approval and so God gave the Philistines the victory, these Priests were killed and the Ark of the Covenant was captured. So the pagan Philistines tried to park the Ark in the temples of a pagan gods and they would wake up each morning to discover their idols tipped over and broken to pieces and sores breaking out all over their bodies.
We are not going to spend much time in chapter 6, when David brought the Ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, but I do want to mention it because it connects with a text we covered at the beginning of 1 Samuel. Remember when God judged the sons of Eli the priest because they were using their priestly position to do all kinds of evil. God gave Philistines a victory over His people and the Priests were killed in that battle and the Ark of the Covenant was captured. So the pagan Philistines tried to park the Ark in the temples of a pagan gods and they would wake up each morning with their idols destroyed and sores all over their bodies.
They quickly discovered that they did not want the presence of the Lord in their lives. It was wreaking havoc on their rebellious pagan practices, so they put the Ark on a cart and send it on it’s way... God directed the oxen right to a city of priest who welcomed the Ark with a great celebration. Does this sound familiar? but the celebration did not last long as they did not treat the Ark with the holiness that it required so 70 of their men perished. After that, they didn’t want the presence of the LORD in their lives either and passed it on to another city where it remained until David came to get it in 2 Samuel chapter 6.
You would think they would have learned from their mistakes, but they tried putting the Ark on a cart again and as they were celebrating it’s journey to Jerusalem the cart hit a pothole and one of the drivers stretched out his hand to steady the Ark so it would not fall. Seemed like a reasonable response, we wouldn’t want it falling off the cart and into the mud…but God immediately took his life. The man’s name was Uzzah and he was good friend of King David who was now re-awakened to the holiness of the presence of God and he decided he did not want to live with this responsibility either:
9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
2 Samuel 6:9-presenc of the Lord kept destroying their idols and bringing estroyed allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines and they brought it into a temple and placed it at the foot of this huge idol of their false God. Then when they woke of one of their falseet into this story much, but by way of follow up to an earlier story
There is quick application for us in this isn’t there? We love to have the blessings of the presence of the LORD in our lives, until it manifests itself in the discipline of the LORD. We love experiencing God’s presence, when it encourages us, lifts us up and helps us to head in a direction we expected, but when it demands that we change course in some area of our lives we would probably rather it not be so impactful. This is a good reminder that the discipline of the LORD is always for our good.
And the house of “Obed-edom the Gittite” experienced the blessing of the LORD’s presence. After only 3 months, there was a noticeable difference in that household, so much so that David decided to heed the discipline of the Lord, correct his error and get the Ark off the cart and have it carried into Jerusalem in the way God commanded. So as the Levites carried the Ark into Jerusalem, David worshiped in front of it with all of his might, so much so that his wife became embrassed by the outlandish display. This behavior wasn’t fit for a King, and she should know because she was the daughter of King Saul. David’s response was that his honor meant nothing, only the honor the Lord mattered.
All of this brings us to chapter 7,
Now remember David had been actively serving as a military leader in one form or another ever since he defeated Goliath. He had been fighting either for or against King Saul for years, and now God has established him as King and given the land peace. So what does a guy who is used to being so active do during peace time? He gets to thinking about what he should do next?
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
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,
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.”
2 Samuel 7:1
this is pointed to Abraham
Seems like a very noble perspective, especially coming off of his experiences in chapter 6. It is a good practice for each of us to consider how God has blessed us, especially compared to someone who has so much less, and then take action to be a blessing to others. In this case, it is not so much and individual but the honor of the Ark of the Covenant that seemed lacking, so he approaches the prophet Nathan who doesn’t hesitate to just green light a good hearted project like this...until he hears something different from the Lord.
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?” ’
2 Samuel 7:4-
God is not condemning the heart of David here, but He wants David, and by extension us, to ponder for a moment where a request like this could come from.
You see it was not an uncommon thing in the ancient world for a newly established King to set out to build a temple to the deity of his people. We see this layout in many of the excavations of ancient cities we have uncovered. The construction of a temple of a “god” would stand stood as a further extension of the power of the leader who commissioned it. But that is not what we see in the heart of David. After the incident with Uzzah he wants to make sure that he is not being disrespectful in any way to the LORD. But God is not displeased with David request, in fact God has already given David greater honor than any of those other Kings.
The truth is that God had promised his people that one day they would have a centralized place of sacrificial worship. promises that when God settles His people in the promise land and give them a time of “rest” such as this, they will also be given a singular place of sacrificial worship. So having a place like this was a part of God’s plan, but David’s initiating it was not.
1 “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth. 2 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. 5 But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, 6 and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you. 8 “You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9 for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, 11 then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your towns, since he has no portion or inheritance with you. 13 Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, 14 but at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you. 15 “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. 16 Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 17 You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, 18 but you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake. 19 Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land. 20 “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire. 21 If the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, then you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire. 22 Just as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 25 You shall not eat it, that all may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 But the holy things that are due from you, and your vow offerings, you shall take, and you shall go to the place that the Lord will choose, 27 and offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but the flesh you may eat. 28 Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. 29 “When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
So instead of condemning David for this good thing that he desired, the LORD shows him that he has something even greater in mind for him.
But David didn’t need a Temple to be built close by to show that God was with him, God had been clear about that all along.
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.
2 Samuel 7:8-11
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.
God reminds David that he did not need a Temple to be close to God, God has been with him all along.
After Samuel anointed David the Spirit of the LORD was always with David.
When he faced Goliath.
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.
When he played his Worship music to sooth the King.
When his soul was knitted together with his friend Jonathan.
When he led King Saul’s men into battle against their enemies
When he ran for his life.
When he lived in caves in the wilderness.
When he led his own men against King’s Saul’s men
Over all of that time the Spirit of the LORD was with David. He didn’t need a Temple, not mention God promised to make his name great.
dh band of warriors against King SaulWhen weIn He sent Samuel to anoint him a built close by to show that God was with him, God had been with him all along.
“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.”
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.
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?” ’
2 Samuel 7:
Our first theme for this week is:
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.
God Promises To Give His People an Eternal Rest (a)
God Promises To Give His People an Eternal Rest (a)
Remember that this chapter opened with the statement that “the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies” So God is telling David of more than just the plan for the immediate future. This “rest” will not be a temporary one soon to be interupted by another invading nation. This is one where God’s people will be in a place where they will “be disturbed no more” and “be afflicted no more”.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The “rest” that David and God’s people are experiencing right now is but a taste of greater things to come. In a short time David will be off to war again, so God cannot be talking about this temporary season of rest that David is wanting to fill with the construction of the Temple. God is telling David of the “Eternal Rest” that He is planning for His people.
Isaiah 9:7
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.”
Isaiah
5 “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. 6 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.’
Jeremiah
Along with an “Eternal Rest”...
God Promises To Give His People An Eternal Kingdom ()
God Promises To Give His People An Eternal Kingdom ()
Continuing on in verse 11 it says...”Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.”
David desired to build a house for the LORD but instead the LORD says I will build a house for you. Of course David already has a house, a house of cedar, so the LORD has something more lasting in mind then a house of wood, plaster or bricks.
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.
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.
Now there is more than one thing happening here, as there often is in Old Testament literature like this.
On one hand God is talking about the assignment that he will give to the next generation son of David. David’s son Solomon will build the house of the LORD, the temple, according to all the specific instructions that God gives him. We will study that when we move on to the book of 1 Kings, but there is more being spoken of here than just that temporary assignment.
We know this because the text uses the word “forever” and the Bible isn’t prone to using the word “forever” in the exaggerated way like you and I (as we impatiently wait in a line). God is telling David that eventually, long after he is gone, one of his descendants will usher in an Eternal Kingdom.
Thirdly,
This brings us to our final theme..
God Promises To Provide An Eternally Beloved Son ()
God Promises To Provide An Eternally Beloved Son ()
Continuing to speak of David’s son God says...
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.
2 Samuel
The reality is...Earthly Kings disobey God.
We saw that clearly in the life of Saul, we will see it very soon in the life of David and eventually the same thing will happen with his son Solomon. Notice it does not say “If” he commits iniquity he will be disciplined, but “when”. And what will happen? The LORD will use the instrument of other men to discipline David’s “son”. , but the “steadfast love”, the “chesed” of the LORD will not depart from David’s descendants. Saul rejected God and in his sovereign wisdom God removed Saul’s family from the Royal line, but God has promised that he will not do this with David’s line - even though he knows that David’s sons will not always obey him. They will be disciplined, but the kingly line will continue to move through David’s family tree.
Why? Because God has decided that David’s “throne shall be established forever”
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
Again, as his “throne shall be established forever”
2 Samuel 7:, as his “throne shall be established forever”
There it is again, that word “Forever”. We only use that word in willful exaggeration, but God can use it truthfully, because He is already there. He is looking at it right now. He sees past, present and future all at the same time. That is why we can trust him when...
He Promises to give his people an eternal Rest
He Promises to give his people an eternal Rest
He Promises to give his people an eternal Kingdom
He Promises to give his people an eternal Kingdom
He Promises to provide and eternally beloved Son
He Promises to provide and eternally beloved Son
Gospel Application
And you might say, ok, so sure God gave these promises to David, but how do we know that they don’t just end with David and his son Solomon. How do we know that when God said “forever” He didn’t mean it like we do, just a very long time. I mean could a promise really stretch this far - some 3,000 years into our lives today? Maybe the modern so-called “experts” just trying to read something new into an old story?
Well if that is the case then what are we to do with the ancient “experts” who said the same thing? A few hundred years later we hear the prophet Isaiah talking about the one who will rule from the forever throne of David.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:7
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The next generation son of David will have iniquity, but this son who is given to all of us will bring righteousness forevemore!
or how about
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.”
And not only Isaiah, but God said something similar through the prophet Jeremiah
5 “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. 6 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.’
Isaiah
5 “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.
Jeremiah
15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Jeremiah
Understand that these Old Testament Prophets were writing in the time of the exile when God’s people were no longer gathered as a nation under an established monarchy. They had no earthly King, but were scattered throughout the world. The few people who were able to remain in the land were oppressed by foreign empires. So these hope filled words were looking back into the promise given to David as much as they were looking forward to the eternal hope found only in faithfulness of God’s promises.
And they did not hope in vain. We do not hope in vain. Because God’s promises were fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that...
And they did come true in Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that...
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Mathew 1:1
I don’t know if connections like this turn your crank like they do mine, but these kinds of things fascinate me and they help me understand how much greater our God is then I can even imagine. And there are more connections that than.
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
And they did not hope in vain. We do not hope in vain. Because God’s promises were fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that...
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
2 Cor
David wanted to build a temple for God, but Jesus said that he is the Temple of God, and if they tear him down he would rebuild it in three days. ()
David was promised that someone from his family will sit on the throne for all eternity, and Jesus spoke of his glorious eternal throne from where he will reward all those who are faithful to him. ()
Jesus claimed he would build a temple
61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
David was promised that his Kingdom would remain forever, and Jesus said that his Kingdom is not of this world. Everything in this world is temporary, but in Jesus the Kingdom of God goes on forever. ()
Jesus claimed he possessed an eternal throne
Jesus claimed he possessed an eternal throne
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.
Matt
Jesus claimed he possessed and imperishable Kingdom
29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:
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.”
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Landing
That is why when Jesus came to earth he never stopped talking about the Kingdom of God. He gave examples, saying that the Kingdom of God is like this or like that, so that we would recognize it’s presence in our lives. Because Jesus also said,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
- so that we would know that the Kingdom of God has come to earth in the death burial and resurection of Jesus. We ....
Repent. Turn from the way that you were living in the Kingdom of darkness and make peace with God through believing in Jesus.
In my devo’s this week I ran into this verse that just floored me. It reminded me that If things were left the way they were in David’s day, then none of us would have any hope. For one thing, most if not all of us are not Jewish. So most of the the promisesf of God to His people in the Old Testament would not even apply to us. But then I read this verse in Ephesians:
- so ....
Eph
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
I pray that is true for you. The Kingdom of God is near and we all have only two choices. You can either go to war against King Jesus or we can submit ourselves to His Lordship and trust in the way that he made for us to be saved.
What have you chosen? Because the King of the Eternal Kingdom is returning soon.
Let me invite the worship team forward as I pray.
