The church recently approved a significant increase for missions, and we were thrilled to be able to do that. The deacons then asked the elders if we would make a recommendation for a missionary that we could give this support to. We immediately began to talk about that in our next meeting. We discussed it at some length. And of course, the frustration is there are so many that we’d love to support, in various parts of the world doing wonderful work, some particularly very strategic. We discussed several of them—some who’ve been here, some who have not but have contacted us—and we decided on a man by the name of Tom Castor.
He will be here with us in two weeks. We encourage you to be here for Sunday school, Sunday morning, and Sunday evening. We’ve asked him to take the whole day to acquaint us with his ministry and to preach for us. I’m really eager for you to become acquainted with him. The reason that we chose him was very simple: the work that he is doing is making a larger impact for the gospel than, I think, all of the others combined. In fact, I can say it pretty confidently, not only than all the others combined, but all the others, including us, combined. He’s got a unique ministry. It’s very effective in getting the gospel to the third world very effectively. I’ve just been fascinated with it. They are in need of support as well. I’m very happy with the choice, and I’m eager for all of you to be here two weeks from today—that’s on the 18th—and hear from him and become acquainted with their ministry.
Pastor Boyd’s remarks this morning included a jolt. Somehow it is still bothersome when I’m reminded that I’m nowhere near young. I don’t know why it still hurts, but it does. But it also occurred to me that young Pastor Boyd would consider old Pastor Boyd a compromiser. And I would just like to register my opinion that I am improving of old Pastor Boyd and his opinions on that matter.
I thoroughly enjoyed the music this morning; the instruments and the selection of songs could hardly have been more appropriate for our message this morning from 2 Samuel chapter 7. 2 Samuel chapter 7. As you might remember, we are working our way through the doctrine of salvation. We’re getting our way actually right now toward the doctrine of salvation. And as we work toward it, what we’re trying to do is consider the Bible’s overall presentation of the theme of salvation.
We began by showing that the Bible is a story. It’s not just a collection of works, but overall it is a story. It presents a story of redemption that focuses on Jesus Christ. It is not simply the preacher’s manufactured statement when we say that the Bible is a book about Jesus. It was written and collected just that way. It is a story about Jesus. In fact, it is a gospel-shaped story about Jesus. And so we worked our first time together through that story, trying to run from Genesis to Revelation to show that the Bible is, in fact, that kind of a story.
And then we started going back and we’re working our way through the covenants of Scripture to show how that story is carried by these covenants that were made along the way. And so we’ve said it this way: that the covenants form the backbone of the story of redemption. God created with a purpose to bless his creation. We saw that in Genesis. He blessed, he blessed, he blessed. Man fell and rebelled against God, and it would seem that God’s purpose to bless his creation had been frustrated. God made a promise that he would send a champion to defeat the tempter, and the implication is his saving purpose—his purpose to bless—would be carried out after all.
Humanity continued in its sin, continued in its rebellion, until God finally wiped out the whole human race except for eight souls: Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives. And God made a promise to Noah and said, “I’ll never do that again. I’ll preserve the world order.” The implication again is so that his saving purpose will stand. God is purposed to bless his creation, and not even human rebellion will stop it. God is determined to bless.
And then we saw that there was continued rebellion again at the Tower of Babel, and then God makes a promise to a man by the name of Abraham. And he says to him, “In you and in your seed, all the families of the earth will be blessed.” In fact, this blessing then will go to all the world. It is a global purpose for all of humanity, universal in that sense, that all the families of the earth will experience the blessing that God intended for them. Part of God’s promise to Abraham is that he would make for him a great nation. That came about, of course, in the book of Exodus, where God brings the children of Abraham out of Egypt by a great work of power, redeems them to himself, takes them to Mount Sinai and makes them a nation, gives them the constitution of their nation, the law, summarized as it is in the Ten Commandments.
And here it was God’s purpose coming good. God reestablishing his kingdom, if you will. Here were a people who were to be God’s people. And to be blessed, God said, “You will do this, you will do this, you will do that, and I will bless you. If you do not, you will be cursed.” And we saw how that covenant finally collapsed because of Israel’s disobedience. But what did happen with all of that is it preserved the nation through whom the blessing was promised to come. And it also established the categories in which that blessing would be accomplished. Now, having seen those covenants, we come today to consider the Davidic covenant, God’s covenant with David, King David, in 2 Samuel 7.
If you would like, you can jot down that you’ll find the same in 1 Chronicles 17. Let’s begin our reading with 2 Samuel 7, beginning with verse 1:
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. 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.
Let’s bow together for prayer. Our Father, we are grateful for this marvelous theme of your saving grace and your relentless purpose to bless. We’re grateful for this great theme of the kingship of David’s greater son. We ask that you would again now open our eyes and our hearts to understand, to grasp, to appreciate, to love, and to revel in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.
The Kingship Theme
I’d like to back up just briefly and look at the kingship theme as it begins and then progresses through the Scriptures before we come to 2 Samuel chapter 7. And actually, the kingship theme begins with creation itself. Creation declares God as King. He made it. He made everything that is. He rules over it. It belongs to him. He’s King over all.
But we no sooner find that than we find that God made man in his own image. And he commissioned him to—if we can turn the word into a verb—to “image” God in the earth, to reflect God’s rule over his creation. And so man and woman are created as God’s vice-regents over the created order. And they are to extend that rule of God throughout all of the earth. Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth, and God’s rule is to be extended by humanity throughout the earth. And of course, that is precisely the command in which humanity failed. Adam and Eve sinned, rebelled against God, and failed in their purpose and their reason for being.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that God is still King. And in fact, it’s important to keep in mind as we progress through the Scriptures in this, that the Bible presents God’s kingship in two senses. On the one level, he is King by right of Creator. He created everything that is. He rules over everything that is. His providence is over all. God is King over all the earth. And there are many passages that speak to that effect. There is nothing outside of his rule.
And yet we see humanity in rebellion against God. It does not appear that God rules over all. And so there’s this other level, the second level of divine kingship presented in the Scriptures, and that is God is setting out to restore humanity to a willing submission to his kingship. And so necessarily it becomes a redemptive kind of kingship where he restores us to submission to his rule.
But God is King. That theme is picked up in Genesis chapter 17 in the Abrahamic Covenant, where God promised to Abraham not only that will he bless the world through his seed, but that through Abraham, kings will come from him. In fact, not just through Abraham, but particularly, precisely through Abraham and Sarah, kings will come from him. Genesis chapter 49 and verse 10, we are told that the kingly staff will belong specifically to the tribe of Judah, of Jacob’s sons. And then we find in Deuteronomy chapter 17, there’s an anticipation that Moses writes that there will be a time when there are kings ruling in Israel; just an anticipation of that time to come.
Then we come to the time of Joshua who rules, and the time of the judges who rule in various areas of Israel, and we have just glimpses of kingship—these men who shepherd over Israel, many of whom in an unfaithful way as it turns out. But we have in the book of Judges that reminder that there was no king in Israel. There was no king in Israel. In fact, it comes with that refrain: “There was no king in Israel and the people did that which was right in their own eyes.” They still need to be brought under rule.
And finally, in the last days of the Judges, we have a prophet by the name of Samuel. And the people clamor to Samuel, “We want a king. We want to be like the other nations. We want our king.” Of course, God had planned for Israel to have a king. This was not the time. But God allows it; Israel chooses a king, and Samuel appoints him. And of course, his name is Saul.
Now, regarding the king in Israel, it’s important to recognize that the king of Israel was not a law unto himself. We saw back in Exodus at Sinai, Israel was to be a nation in which God is King. It is a theocracy. And now that a king is appointed in Israel, he is not a law unto himself. His responsibility first and foremost is to mediate God’s rule. And so the emphasis is on his taking the law of God and applying it to the people in Israel and being faithful to it.
In fact, Moses told us of this back in Deuteronomy chapter 17 that I mentioned when there’s that anticipation of the times of the kings. That when the kings are appointed, each of them, as they are appointed in Israel, they are to copy by hand—to copy Moses’ law written out entirely for the Levitic priests to check. And then daily, the kings are to read the Law of Moses. And the emphasis, of course, through it all is that these kings are not a law unto themselves. Their responsibility is to mediate God’s rule, God’s justice.
As you read through the prophets, you see this reflected as well. You have kings ruling in Israel and they are unchallenged in any official capacity. They’re kings. Nobody stands above them. But then you see a prophet coming into the court of the king and commanding the king what to do. “You will not make this alliance, you’ll make that. You’ll do this, you won’t do that.” And calling the king to faithfulness to God and to obedience to God. And you wonder at some point, who’s king here? Is it the king or the prophet? And of course, officially it is the king. But the prophet stands taller because he speaks for God to the king. And it is God who is King in Israel.
And of course, it’s just on that score that Saul failed. And he was rejected. He was unfaithful to God. His throne was taken from him. His dynasty didn’t even survive to the second generation. God had prepared another king. His name is David. You’re familiar with the story of David through 1 Samuel. It’s recorded for us. He was a rising star in Israel, particularly through his defeating of Goliath, the giant. He’s brought in eventually to serve with Saul, and then Saul is jealous of David and Saul goes after David, and David spends so much time running for his life. David spends time running for his life away from Saul.
Finally now we come to 2 Samuel chapter 6. David has consolidated his rule over all of Jerusalem. The Ark is brought into Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant, and the tabernacle is established. David is living in a wonderful palace made of cedar, a beautiful place, and David reflects. He calls in Nathan, the prophet. He says, “I’ve been thinking. I’ve got this beautiful house that I live in, and God dwells in a tent. The Ark of the Covenant is over there, sheltered by only a tent. It doesn’t seem right that I should have such a wonderful house and God not have a permanent house.”
Nathan the prophet says to David, “That’s a good idea. Go for it. Whatever it is you have in your heart, do it.” Nathan goes home that evening and God speaks to Nathan and says, “That’s not a good idea. I didn’t tell you that was a good idea. I didn’t direct you to do that. You go back and tell David this.” And the next day Nathan comes to David and says, “I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some good news. The bad news is you’re not going to be building a house for God. The good news is God’s going to build a house for you.”
Now there’s a pun that’s intended, of course. David was intending to build God a literal house, a palace, a temple in which to put the Ark of the Covenant, a permanent residing place. God, when he says, “I’ll build a house for David,” means not a literal palace; he means a dynasty. I’m going to establish your house forever, and your son, your offspring, will rule on your throne forever.
Now this is not called a covenant in 2 Samuel chapter 7. In many different places in the Scriptures, it is referred to as a covenant—Psalm 89 very famously and some other places as well. But God promises the perpetuity of David’s dynasty, the perpetuity of David’s kingdom; a perpetual seed will reign on David’s throne forever.
Now a couple of things are introduced here in 2 Samuel 7 that become important as the theme fleshes out in the Scriptures. Verse 14, you will find this sonship theme: “I will be a father to him and he shall be my son.” And so the establishing of God’s King in Israel is the establishing of God’s son. That’s reflected, I think, with some double meanings intended when we come to the New Testament where Jesus is the Son of God. It is a messianic title. He’s David’s son, God’s son. The King. Now it’s freighted with all kinds of other implications as well, but this establishing him as God’s son is enthronement language. I’ll establish him as the Davidic King.
Now you’ll notice also in verse 14 that there’s some tension built into the promise. God says, “I’ll establish his throne, it’ll be forever,” but it also says, “I’ll discipline him with the rod of men when he commits iniquity.” That is, he must be an obedient son. Now this sonship theme is actually picked up from Adam, and with Israel itself, who is God’s son. “Let my son go,” God says to Pharaoh. And now that sonship theme is picked up again for the Davidic King. But he must be an obedient son. And only as an obedient son will he enjoy God’s blessing and the perpetuity of this promise. But yet at the same time, God says in verse 15, “My steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul.” That is, I will accomplish this promise. But if the king disobeys, I’ll discipline him with the rod of the nations. You see the tension built into it.
Well, here in this passage we have really only emphasized the unending nature of the Davidic promise that David’s son will rule on the throne forever. But of course, that promise is expanded and fleshed out and unpacked in a great way in the rest of the Old Testament. Particularly in the Psalms and in the Prophets, we find the unpacking of this promise: that not only will he rule forever, but he will rule over all forever. He will rule in peace. He will rule in righteousness. He’ll rule in justice, and it will be not just over Israel; he’ll rule over all the nations. And we find this expanded throughout the Old Testament so that the Davidic King inherits David’s throne and it will be a throne that exercises dominion the world over. And it’ll be characterized by peace and safety and righteousness and blessing.
So then David, looking into the big picture, David is the royal seed that is promised to Abraham, and he is the one who will successfully secure God’s intended blessing, both in its national and its international aspects. Now this then, 2 Samuel chapter 7, is what gives rise to that theme that is just huge through the Old Testament and then in the New Testament as well. And that’s the theme of the kingdom of God. It’s not usually stated in that language, “kingdom of God.” It’s spoken of as God’s rule, God reigning, David reigning, the King reigning, universal rule, universal righteousness, and so on. But this kingship theme is just huge in the Old Testament. And attached to this is what we call messianic prophecy: that the anointed King, the Messiah, will reign. David’s son will reign and he will reign forever in righteousness, in peace, securing God’s blessing for his people.
The Theme Expanded In The Psalms And Prophets
Now I would love to spend lots of time expanding through this for weeks, but let’s just take today to do it and let’s just take a couple of quick samples in the Old Testament to see how this theme is expanded. If you look at Psalm 2, you’ll see one of the more famous expressions of it. Psalm 2. We start out with an expression of the rebellion of the nations. “Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed.” There’s the Messiah. And they say, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
It has a very contemporary ring, doesn’t it? The nations in rebellion against God. “We won’t have him rule over us. We won’t have his anointed one ruling over us. Let’s rid ourselves of these rules, these laws that God has given. We’ll do it our own way.” And God responds in verse 4: “Ha ha, are you kidding me? You think you threaten my purpose?” Verse 6: “I have set my king in Zion on my holy hill.” You think you’ll frustrate my purpose? He that sits in the heavens laughs.
And so verse 7: “I’ll tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me'”—this is the Messiah speaking, the Davidic King—”‘The Lord said to me, ask of me and I’ll make the nations your heritage. In the ends of the earth, your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.'” And then he brings the matter to the conclusion in verses 10 to 12 with counsel to the nations: “Therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are those who take refuge in him.”
That is, if God’s purpose for this King is sure, and he will rule, then to oppose him is the height of foolishness. Be wise, O kings; be warned; serve the Lord. Kiss the son—don’t you love that expression? You see these old kings with the ring on his finger and someone coming to express submission, kissing the ring; kiss the son. You better make good with him while you still may. You see how that’s an expansion then of the Davidic promise: the Davidic son reigning as King over the nations, and all the nations brought into subjection to him.
I think I mentioned earlier Psalm 89; we won’t take time to go there, but there you’ll see God speaking again: “I’ve sworn to David, I will not lie, I’ve made a covenant, and his sure mercies will be fulfilled.” Let’s take another look at Psalm 110. This is the most famous of the psalms. It is quoted in the New Testament more frequently than any other psalm. Psalm 110: “The Lord says to my Lord.” This is a psalm of David. Notice the heading. This is a psalm of David and David says, “The Lord Jehovah says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies.” And he goes on to expand on the same theme of the Messiah’s rulership over the nations.
Now an important addition here is that he says in verse 4, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” So the Davidic King is also a priest. He’s a priest-king, which is already then a hint that the old Mosaic order is only temporary. Because in the Mosaic order, it is a Levitical priest. And now we have one from the tribe of Judah, who being King is priest as well. And again he speaks of his ultimate victory over all the earth, winding up with verse 7 where he refreshes himself after the battle.
While you have other reflections of this in the Old Testament, I’ll just mention a few quickly. We won’t have to turn to them for the sake of time. One of the most famous ones is Isaiah chapter 9, the famous Christmas prophecy that we quote every year: “Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. And the government shall be on his shoulders.” There’s the rulership aspect again. The government will be on his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace. And the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish his purpose for this Davidic King.
I’ll mention a couple of others. Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 5, if you’d like to jot it down: “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.”
Jeremiah chapter 33 verses 15 and following: “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. 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. For thus says the Lord, David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.”
In short then, God has promised that the Davidic King will restore humanity’s status as a vice-regent over all of God’s creatures. He will reign universally. He’ll reign in righteousness. He’ll reign in justice, peace, and safety, securing the blessing for God’s people universally.
Well, that’s a hopelessly brief overview of the kingship theme then in the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis chapter 1 and chapter 2, but really coming into its own in 2 Samuel chapter 7 with the promise to David, and then expanded and unpacked through the Psalms and the Prophets. Now, one interesting twist with all of that is when we read through the Old Testament, while we find this major track of prophecy telling us that David’s son will rule, David’s son will be shepherd—even God saying in Jeremiah and Ezekiel things like, “I will set David over them and he will shepherd my people Israel”—at the same time, we find God saying that he will be King in Israel, that he will come, that he will break into history and reign over his people and accomplish his rule universally.
And we have—and we can’t take time to track this out at length—but we have these two tracks running through the prophets. David’s son will come, David will rule, David will shepherd. God will come, God will reign, God will shepherd his people. And in fact, then at some places, those two themes converge. Let me take just one quick sample of that. Look back at Psalm 45. Since we’re in the Psalms, look at Psalm 45. This is a psalm that was evidently written for the wedding of the Davidic King. And notice how it expresses the glory of the King: “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme. I address my verses to the king. My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. You are the most handsome of the sons of men. Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore, God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one.”
So he’s beautiful, he’s handsome, in verses one and two. Now look at his strength and his success. “Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty. In your majesty, ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness. Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies. The people fall under you.” So now not only is he a handsome man, but he’s a successful and mighty king who will rule over all of his enemies and exercise justice and righteousness over all of his subjects.
And now verse 6: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. Your scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of righteousness. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, your God has anointed you.” And on it goes. Now you think at that point, hasn’t the language become just a little bit extravagant? Is he David’s son? Of course he’s talking about David’s son, the King, the Davidic King. But yet he addresses him as God. How in the world do we put all that together? Well, you’ve read the rest of the book. You know how that’s going to sort out. We’ll see that in just a minute. But this is the larger note of expectation that forms the backdrop and the background of the messianic hope—the hope of the Davidic King—when we come to the New Testament.
Now, against that larger backdrop, we have the history of the Davidic kingship as it’s recorded for us in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. And it might suggest a very different story. In fact, even parts of the prophets might suggest a very different story. But as we have it recorded in the books of history, the Davidic dynasty is established. It doesn’t survive three generations before it is split. We have the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, both ultimately determined in their rebellion against God. The northern kingdom doesn’t have a good king among them. They all did that which is evil in the sight of the Lord. And God is patient, and God is patient, and God is patient until finally he’s not patient. And he brings Assyria down, and the northern kingdom of Israel is destroyed. The southern kingdom survives somewhat longer, but eventually it’s determined in its rebellion as well, and God brings Babylon against the southern kingdom, against Judah, in 586 BC. Finally, they are carried off into exile into Babylon. We find the return finally recorded for us as well, but to use the language of Isaiah, the great Davidic tree has been cut down to a stump.
Now the Old Testament then ends with this: with the Davidic tree cut down to a stump, but with just a glimmer of hope. Again, we won’t take time to turn to them, but our Old Testament—the English formation of the canon—ends with the book of Malachi, and we have just that note of hope at the very end of the Old Testament, with the Sun of Righteousness, the promise of the Sun—not S-O-N, S-U-N. We sing it in one of our Christmas carols: “Hail the Sun—S-U-N—hail the Sun of Righteousness, risen with healing in your wings.” It’s from Malachi chapter 4, where the promise is that this Sun will rise again on Israel, and the beams of God’s blessing will shine on his people once again. In the Jewish arrangement of the canon, which ends with 2 Chronicles, we have the same kind of note that is sounded at the end with the return of Israel to her land and the promise in fulfillment of the promise.
The Theme In The New Testament
Well, that’s the backdrop then in the Old Testament, and now we come to the New Testament. And as I’ve done with you many times before, look at Matthew chapter 1. Let’s do it again. Matthew chapter 1 and verse 1: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Now why does he mention these two? Son of David—he’s alerting us to the fact that he is the one in whom will be fulfilled the Davidic promise. If you are a son of David, then necessarily you are also a son of Abraham. But he mentions that and specifies “son of Abraham” as well to specify that he’s also the one who will bring about the Abrahamic blessing, the promised seed.
And then through the birth narratives—the infant narratives of Matthew and Luke—we find this kingship theme becoming very prominent. Not only in verse 1 with the mention of the Davidic promise, the allusion to that, but tracing the genealogy back to David. Even the arrangement of the genealogies with a numbering system that they have emphasizes that we have a Davidic promise that’s being fulfilled here, and emphasizing that in verse 17. And then verses 18 and following of Matthew, you have the infancy narratives of Jesus and the great men coming from the East, coming to visit and worship before Jesus and so on. And over and again, the promise of the Old Testament is reiterated: “this happened, that it might be fulfilled, that it might be fulfilled,” emphasizing that the great promises of the Old Testament now are being fulfilled in Jesus. We have the same thing in the book of Luke, with the promise of the throne of his father David; it will be inherited by Jesus, the son of Mary.
But keep in mind again where we are historically in all of this. We have come now to Jesus, son of Mary, legal son of Joseph. Joseph is the legal heir of David’s throne, and he’s a carpenter, a construction worker. Noble profession, but not royalty. David’s tree has been cut down to a stump. But Isaiah also prophesied, you’ll remember, that rising out of that stump of David would be a shoot. Rising out of the stump to grow that tree once again. And that’s what’s happening now when we come to the New Testament.
In fact, in a sense, that’s the whole announcement of the New Testament. So we come not only to Jesus’ birth and the emphasis of the kingship theme, but then Jesus’ ministry. He’s introduced by John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And everybody hears it with all of this in the background: the Davidic promise, the promise of the Psalms and the prophets. It’s coming down. Jesus takes up his ministry and begins preaching the same thing: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Oh, there are so many other expressions of this. Matthew chapter 12, Jesus claims to be greater than David. An interesting one, Matthew chapter 22: the Pharisees are arguing against Jesus, and Jesus comes back with this question. “You’ve heard of Messiah. Whose son is he?” Well, that’s an easy question. They said, “It’s David’s son. Messiah is David’s son.” And then Jesus draws their attention to Psalm 110, which we have just read. “How then,” he asked, “how then, if he is David’s son, can he call him Lord? The Lord said to my Lord.” It’s interesting; at the end of that passage, they said, “We don’t want to ask him any more questions.”
And of course the only way to answer that is to say something they are not willing to say, and that is that David’s son is also David’s Lord. Not only in the sense that he becomes a greater king, but he is God himself become incarnate. And in fact, you think back to 2 Samuel 7 and the promise that David’s obedient son will reign on the throne forever. There’s only one of two ways that promise can be fulfilled. Either David has an obedient son who has an obedient son who has an obedient son who perpetually have sons that obey God and they rule forever—which of course was not the case—or somewhere down the line, David has a son who is obedient and never dies. And that, of course, is how the New Testament picks it up with reference to Jesus, particularly in the book of Hebrews, where Jesus, the resurrected King, the resurrected Lord, reigns forever.
Matthew chapter 13 is an important development in this theme, where Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” What’s the kingdom of God like? Well, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sows good seed. He throws out the seed and much of it takes root and it brings forth fruit. Or the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed—just a tiny little seed, planted in the ground, and it brings forth this great big tree, a huge bush. Or the kingdom of heaven is like leaven—some yeast that a woman kneads into the dough and it pervades the whole loaf. Or the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. A man’s out working in the field, he digs down into plant something, comes across something that’s been hidden there—treasure—quickly buries it over, sells everything he has, and buys the field because this is worth it.
And you get this perception now that this kingdom of God thing is coming in in a surprising way. There’s something subtle about it, almost imperceptible, and yet growing and increasing. And there’s something about it that’s hidden, mysterious. Not everyone can see it. In fact, we have Jesus speaking to Nicodemus in John chapter 3. He tells him, “Except a man be born again, he can’t see the kingdom of God.” He can’t perceive these things unless he’s made all over again.
And then in a climactic way, we come to the passion narratives of the Gospels. And this kingship of Jesus theme crops up again. He’s King of the Jews. Bring him to Pilate. They say, “You say you’re a king. Are you?” “You got that right.” You remember they put a purple robe on him, mocking his professed kingship. They put a crown of thorns on him, mocking his kingship. They put him on a cross and the sign over him: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
And the great irony is that here, Jesus establishes his kingship. Here on the cross, Jesus comes as the obedient son, taking the place of all of his people, and there establishing his kingdom and rescuing them out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God—not by conquering them militarily, but by taking their place and bearing the curse of God against them, and taking their place, bearing their sin, and establishing his kingdom. The older theologians used to say this much more regularly than we do, speaking of Christ as reigning from the tree. The ultimate irony that Christ in his most shameful defeat exercises his great success in establishing his kingdom.
He rises from the dead and he makes the announcement: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He has a singular authority to carry out God’s purpose of salvation and judgment. “Go therefore to all the nations and make disciples. Bring them into submission to me. Tell everyone everywhere that Jesus is King.” They might not have recognized it yet. They may not admit it yet, but it’s nonetheless true that Jesus is their King and they will one day bow before this King, and they must do it now.
We come to the book of Acts, and the gospel of the kingdom is spread through the nations from Jerusalem. The book of Acts ends with that note: Paul went about preaching the kingdom of God. The epistles pick it up and interpret the kingdom in just this saving way, where God establishes his kingship through Christ the King and Christ the King sends out his sovereign Spirit and one by one rescues people from the domain of Satan and brings them into his own kingdom.
Christ the King rescuing his people into his kingdom—and yet, at the same time, we are instructed to pray, “Your kingdom come.” And we find this emphasis in the Gospels and the epistles all the way through: that there’s this great expectation of the kingdom to come. That Christ will come in his glory and exercise the full rights of his kingship. The Gospels tell us of that. The epistles expand on it. The book of Revelation, of course, in the most climactic way, speaks of Jesus coming, riding on a white horse in all of his glory, bringing his kingship to great consummation.
The prophets speak of this as well. They didn’t see the interruption between the first and second coming of Christ, but they speak of this as well, of God coming to establish his kingdom. The Messiah coming to establish his kingdom. And it has been the heartthrob of the church for all of these centuries: “Even so, Lord Jesus, come.” The early church knew how to greet one another. We’ve lost it. I think it would be marvelous if we’d learn to pick it up. One of the greetings we find—just traces of it in the New Testament—they would greet each other, “Maranatha! He comes. He comes. He’s coming.” With that constant reminder on their minds that Christ the King, who has established his kingship at the cross, will come and in grand consummation of his kingdom, exercise his rule the world over and destroy all of his enemies and rescue all of his own.
You can see then how this promise to David, the Davidic covenant, is one of the major organizing themes of the Bible. God created with an intention to bless. Man rebelled, and God made a promise. A promise that he’d send a champion to fix this whole problem and restore God’s rule in the earth. Man continues in his rebellion, God exercises judgment, but he makes another promise. “I’ll preserve the world order,” he says to Noah. “I’ll preserve the world order so that I may accomplish my purpose to bless.” He promises to Abraham that in your seed it will be that all the families of the earth will be blessed. This will be global blessing.
And here we find now that David—great David’s greater son—will be the King who will secure that blessing the world over. Until finally we come to the end of history with a redeemed world, all of us singing the glory of Christ the King who has secured God’s blessing for his rebellious people. And the gospel message is couched in just that context and in those terms. It comes to us declaring, “Jesus Christ is Lord. He’s King.” You may not have recognized it yet, but you must. You’d better, you must make good with this King because one day you will bow. The good news is, He has offered terms of peace. He’s offered himself for sinners. He’s died on behalf of sinners, taking the punishment they deserve. And if you will come in submission to him, trusting in him and repenting of your sin, acknowledging his kingship, he’ll have you. But if you do not, you will still bow, but then it would be too late.
Now it remains for us still to specify how and on what basis God will bring about this great kingdom restoration, and we will see that, Lord willing, next time with God’s promise of a new covenant that will come. Amen. Let’s pray. Our Father, these large sweeping overviews of the Scriptures are good for us to see your saving purpose. We’re struck with your resolve to bless in the face of our sin. We’re struck with your grace that you would send your Son to establish kingship in such an awful way. We thank you for your grace. We praise you for King Jesus. In his name we pray, amen.