“I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him. But my unfailing love will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed before you. Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me, and your throne will be secure forever.”
- 2 Samuel 7:14-16
First, your weekly covenant recap! It all started at creation with God’s intentions of living in communion with humanity so we may experience trinitarian love, and we were given the responsibility to care for creation. Yet, we messed it all up by choosing to be “better” than God. With the fall came complete wickedness to the point there was no way a heart would freely choose God, so God wiped them out except Noah. Noah’s covenant revealed God would never wipe away the world like that again, and revealed His everlasting faithfulness. Then came Abraham and the promise that not just one nation, but nations would be considered his because of a son, which foreshadowed the world’s redemption at the hands of the Son, Jesus. Overtime came a liberated nation of Israel and the Mosaic covenant, which would end with Christ but revealed the purpose of Israel and the Church to be intercessors for other nations to God.
Today we jump forward in time again to David. A lot happened between Moses and David and I’m not going to recap it all. Essentially, Israel survived by God’s grace in the wilderness, with Joshua’s leadership and intercessions moved into the promise land, but then came the time of the Judges, and things generally didn’t go too well for Israel. They wanted a king “like all the other nations.” Thus, Saul was nominated as king of Israel, he tried to unify the tribes, but his ambitions got the best of him and he was too impatient to do things spiritually the right way. Thus, Saul’s dynasty would end, and he would become a mad man.
David, God’s Man:
Then came David. A man after God’s own heart. This little shepherd boy, slayer of lions and bears with a sling, would be the only one man enough to take on Goliath, also with just a sling and a stone. However, David knew this was more spiritually significant than a mere battle between men, this was about the worship of God. You know the story; David won the battle!
David would go on to be well known across all the tribes of Israel. Songs were sung about him, but that never mattered to him. He instead wrote many Psalms of praise, lament, and devotion to God, of which we find hope and strength all the time. What made David so special was his heart. He was not the move valiant fighter, nor the most strategic and wise of kings, but he had a heart relentlessly directed toward God. A man who did not seek to be worshipped, but sought to worship. In God’s eyes, that is what made David a great king, and the archetype of every king that was to follow in his line. Whether David was on the run in his own nation, a winner or loser in battle, or even committing adultery and murder; his heart would always turn back to God in praise, repentance, and devotion.
Son of David:
First, I want to note that David’s covenant is everlasting, it truly will never end. Even during most of the last thousand plus years when a nation of Israel did not formally exist, David’s covenant never ended, and that’s because it's not about a nation or even a government. It’s about a throne and authority that goes far beyond an earthly system of governing. As this is based on God’s unfailing love, the throne of David is on a completely different plane than all other offices, for this one can never end, and it's because of who is sitting on that throne right now.
Jesus is born in the line of David. While I am not going to bother with how they handle genealogy and all that complexity, or that the Herodians were “ruling” Israel at the time of Jesus, it's simply important to note that Jesus is a son of David. What makes this covenant with David so beautiful is how it sets up the stage perfectly for the first coming of Christ. The stage is set up perfectly for the dawning of the Church as Christ’s new kingdom. The stage is set up perfectly for a throne and ruler that will never perish nor lose to its enemies. David serves as the archetype of Christ as King.
Of course, there are some differences. God says that if David or his son's sin then nations will be sent against them as punishment, but we know that Jesus can never sin, for God cannot sin against God, but that just further reveals the endlessness of Christ’s Lordship and the assuredness of God’s victory over sin and death on the cross. Jesus secured the throne.
This is why I like to remind people that Christ is on the throne. It points people to the truest reality in which Christ is reigning victorious over sin and death and no nation or person can ever stand against that. No political party can ever take away Christ’s Lordship. No personal identity or experience can ever take away Christ’s Lordship. No nation, nor religion, nor demon, nor angel could ever overcome Christ, for He reigns from the throne of David as the eternal Lord. Jesus is the Son of David.
In the grand scheme of things, what we suffer in this present life is nothing in comparison to the rich treasures awaiting those who look to and trust in Christ as their Lord and Savior. We can rest assured that Christ is on the throne.
However, that does not negate our responsibilities now either. We are still to care for creation and be intercessors for others, that they too might accept the grace offered to them by Christ. In both, we become active members of the kingdom that Christ is King over, which makes us messengers of the Good News, rather than passive being waiting to be beamed to heaven.
Final Blessing:
So, Christ is on the throne, and like David we too can have a heart for God, even if we slip into sin, we can get up and pursue Christ and live in His kingdom.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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