The Promise of His Eternal Reign

If you have a Bible, and I hope you do, turn with me to 2 Samuel 7. And let me encourage you, if you don’t have a Bible, to find someone with one around you. You can borrow one from someone else or look on with someone else. Know that we have them available for free if you don’t have one every Sunday out in the lobby, but we’re going to be turning all over the place this morning. I counted over 25 different passages that we’re going to turn to. And the reason I want us to do this is I want us to get a feel of this thing called Advent; this sense of anticipation of the coming of Christ that was literally present for centuries before Christ came.

I want us to feel, hopefully in an entirely new way this Christmas. And I know that’s a bold statement for a holiday week that’s so familiar to us, but I want us to feel the historical weight of what took place 2000 years ago, to see how all of history before that point was leading up to that point, and how all of history since that day revolves around that day, when the King of the world came to the world.

One of the verses in our Advent guide this week is 2 Samuel 7:16. And so what I want to do is to read this entire chapter (2 Samuel 7) that describes a promise from God to Israel’s most famous King — King David. And I want to show you how this promise in this chapter relates to everything in all of Scripture, literally from Genesis to Revelation. And my goal in showing you this is not just so that we’ll have more Bible knowledge a few minutes from now than we have now. Oh, that is not the goal.

The goal is that a few minutes from now, having seen the grand story of all history, that you would see in a new way the King who is at the center of all history, and that you would love Him more deeply and follow him more obediently and proclaim him, and that you would give your life proclaiming Him to people you know and peoples around the world with urgency.

And just in case you think I’m just talking to Christians in this room, I’m not. I’m talking to friends who are here who are not followers of Christ right now. My goal is to show you who Christ is and what Christ has done today in hope that you will see that He is the King of the world and of your life. And my hope is that when you see Him, you’ll not only follow Him, but you’ll spend your life from this moment forward proclaiming, “Christ is King,” to people you know and to peoples around the world.

In fact, let me pray toward that end. Father, I pray that this is true. I pray that when we leave this place, men, women and children across this room will see the glory of Christ in Christmas, and that this glory will impact their lives in a way that compels the gospel to go forward to the ends of the earth. We love you, Lord, and we thank you for sending your Son to earth for us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Okay, here we go. Turn to 2 Samuel 7, and we will begin reading in 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. 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.

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.”

Okay, you ready to start turning? I want to show you how what we just read is key and crucial for understanding so much of the Bible. This chapter unlocks and connects so much of what happened before this to what will happen in the rest of the Bible. I want you to see the unity of the Bible, how this Book has one Author — I’m talking with a capital “A” — the Holy Spirit of God, who is intertwining every single detail together in this book. Nothing is said or done by accident.

So hold your place here in 2 Samuel 7, and then turn back to the first book of the Bible – Genesis, Chapter 12. So, just a reminder of what happened in the first 11 chapters – God created man and woman to know and enjoy and worship Him as Father and Lord and God and King, but man and woman chose to rebel against Him in sin. As a result, man and woman were separated from God, and the effect of sin began to spread throughout the world to every person and every thing. Murder happens in the next chapter of the Bible, and then all sorts of other transgression against men and ultimately rebellion against God.

This leads to Genesis 11, when people rebel against God and they are divided into nations and different groups of people (people groups), which sets the stage for Genesis 12, where God is going to call one of those people groups to be a unique recipient of His love in order that they might show His love to all the peoples. And so we have the beginning of the people of Israel with God’s words to Abraham.

Now I want you to see how God’s words to David in 2 Samuel 7 contain echoes of God’s words to Abraham all throughout Genesis. That’s why I want you to have a finger in both. So as we turn through Genesis, I want you to see its relationship to 2 Samuel. Start with Genesis 12:1–3. It says, “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” God says, “I will make your name great, Abram.”

Now look at 2 Samuel 7:9. It says, “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.” We see the same thing. God is saying, “David, I will make your name great.”

Now go to Genesis 15:18. It says this: “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” God promised to put them in a land. Now look at 2 Samuel 7:10. God says, “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.” God is now planting them in the land He had promised to them.

Now go to Genesis 17:3–7. That passage says,

Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” God is saying, “Offspring, and kings will come from you.”

Now turn over to the end of Genesis –- Genesis 49. So God promises that kings will come from Abraham, and then Abraham has a son named Isaac, and Isaac has a son named Jacob, and Jacob is blessing his sons before he dies in Genesis 49, and he comes to his son Judah, and he says,

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

The “ruler’s staff” here is the sign of a king. So Judah will one day have a king from his line to whom shall be the obedience of all the peoples.

All of that in Genesis, and then, in the line of Judah, eventually comes a man named Jesse. Jesse has a son named David. So God says to David, who comes from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah in 2 Samuel 7:12–13, “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.” He’s promising a kingdom through David, just like he promised through Abraham and Judah.

So we’ve got these echoes of God’s words to the patriarchs in Genesis now being reiterated to David in 2 Samuel. And it only continues when you come to the next book of the Bible. Turn to the next book of the Bible: Exodus, Chapter 6. Now, I promise we’re not going to do this with every single book in the Old Testament, though we could, we’re not going to do it. But keep turning here with me. Hang with me in all of this turning, because I promise it’s going to be worth it in the end.

Look at Exodus 6:6, when God’s people were slaves in Egypt. Listen to what God promised them there:

Say therefore to the people of Israel, “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”

And in the process of redeeming them, turn over to Exodus 8:10. What was God doing? “And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ Moses said, ‘Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.’” Other places like Exodus 9:14 and 15:11 tell us that the Lord wants to make His name and glory known. In redeeming His people from slavery in Egypt, He was showing His glory to His people and the Egyptians.

And so with that background, what does David pray in 2 Samuel 7:22–24?

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.

So see that what Gd is doing with David is the same picture of what God did His people in His initial formation of them. He is redeeming them for His glory.

Now, one more place I want you to turn for now: Deuteronomy 17. When God gave His people the law, He told them about future kings in Israel. Now the picture in Israel was unique because God was their King. They didn’t need a king in the ways that pagan nations needed a king; they were a theocracy with God as their King. But God knew that they would reject Him as King, and they would want to raise up an earthly king, and so God told them how their king should rule and reign. Listen to this with me: Deuteronomy 17:14–20.

“When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”

So the intent was that God would reign as King over His people through His relationship with this earthly king. And the earthly king of Israel, as He followed God’s rule and submitted to God’s reign, would be a reflection of the King of Israel.

The Davidic Kingdom in 2 Samuel 7

So all of that leads us back to 2 Samuel 7, where we read about the official establishment of the Davidic Kingdom. Saul did not reflect God’s kingly reign, so he was removed. Then, in 2 Samuel 5, David is officially anointed as king, which is important. This is what the people of Israel would do: They would anoint the king, and he would be considered “the Lord’s anointed”. So David is set up as the earthly king through whom God will relate to His people as heavenly King.

God’s People in 2 Samuel 7 …

And the Kingdom – and this is summarized in your notes – is all about God reigning over His people in His place for His purpose. A kingdom – any kingdom – has a people, a place, and a purpose. And this is the way God set up the Davidic kingdom. First of all, you have God’s People. Now follow with me here: What God is telling David is that from his line, from David’s line, a continual seed will endure.

Now 2 Samuel 7 starts off with David saying, “I want to build a temple, a house, for your glory to dwell.” And in a startling reversal, basically God says, “No, I’m going to build a house for you – not a physical house – but a family dynasty – a line – that will never end.” Look at verses 12 and 13. “‘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.’”

Now circle that word “forever.” Circle it there and then in verses 16, 24, 25, 26, and 29. God says, “Your line will not end,” and your family will endure forever. Now when you see that, when we read that in the 21st century, we need to sit up and take notice. When God says He’s going to set up something that will last forever, that means it’s still in place today. Eternity is being shaped here in 2 Samuel 7.

A continual seed will endure – the line/family of David will endure — and an honored son will reign. Now this is where it gets really interesting. Look at verse 14. It says, “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…” Who’s “he”? You look back, and it’s the offspring of David. “I will be his father, and he will be my son.” Now that is startling. What God is setting up is that the kings who will reign in the line of David will stand in special relation to God. A son of David will in some sense be a son of God.

So who is the son this is talking about? Well, turn with me over to 1 Chronicles 22. David has a variety of sons, but who becomes the next king? Listen to David near the end of his life now, speaking to his son, Solomon, and see if you notice the language from 2 Samuel 7. 1 Chronicles 22:6–10 says,

Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’”

So Solomon, the next king of Israel, was to relate to God as son, as a reflection of the father on high to the people of God.

Now this goes to a whole new level a few chapters later in Chapter 29. Turn over there and look at verse 22. This is the end of David’s life, and I want you to see how God had uniquely set up the king in Israel to be a reflection of God’s reign over Israel. These are an astounding two verses; look at this with me: “And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him as prince for the Lord, and Zadok as priest. Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.” Did you hear that? Not only in verse 22 is Solomon designated as prince, or ruler, for the Lord, but then you get to verse 23, and it says Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king. Do you see this?

The picture that God set up is a king over Israel that would literally be a reflection of His kingship over Israel, and that’s what He’s setting up in the Davidic kingdom. The king would be the representative of God to His people, a mediator between God and His people, the one through whom God relates to His people and rule over His people. The earthly king, who is the son, represents the heavenly King, who is the Father. A continual seed will endure, and an honored son will reign.

In God’s Place …

That’s how God would relate to His people in His place. Now just like we read, ever since God’s promise to Abraham, God was leading His people to a promised land. Now we’ve seen this over and over and over again – the importance of the land. Ever since God’s covenant with Abraham, God has been leading His people to a promised land – “a land I will show you.” For years, God’s people were nomads, dwelling in tents, always on the move. But God had told them over and over – Deuteronomy 11:24 says: “I’m going to give you land from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River Euphrates to the Western Sea”. And then in Deuteronomy 12:10, God promised, “You will live in it, and God will give you rest from all your enemies around so that you live in safety.”

So now here they are. 2 Samuel 7:1 says, “Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,” and then God promises him in this covenant with him in verse 10: “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 I will give you rest from all your enemies.” So this is a place where they will enjoy God’s rest.

And not only that, but also a place where they will encounter God’s glory. Because they had been a traveling people, God’s presence and glory had dwelled in their midst in the form of a mobile sanctuary, a tabernacle, which is why God wanted to build a temple — literally a house for the glory of God — in the first place. So God says here in Chapter 7, verse 13, that David’s son, the next king, Solomon, would build a house for His name. So the picture is God’s people will be established in Jerusalem with a seed that will endure and a son that will reign in that place, and under that son and that seed, God’s people will enjoy His rest and encounter His glory.

God’s Purpose in 2 Samuel 7…

And all of this would be for God’s Purpose. What was God’s purpose in all of this? Why was God giving David these extravagant promises? And the answer is twofold; its summarized in verse 23, which we read earlier: To redeem a chosen people. Verse 23 says, “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?”

But it wasn’t just for their sake that He was doing this. Ultimately, it was for His sake that He was doing this. God is literally here “making Himself a name.” So the purpose of God is to redeem a chosen people, and to extol the incomparable God. Extol is a great biblical word that David chooses to use over and over again in the psalms. Here he says in verse 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.” Then in verse 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. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’”

Remember, from the very beginning, God promised to make Abraham great. Why? So that the blessing of God would be made known among all the peoples of the earth. So that all the peoples of the earth would know that He is the incomparable God who has no rivals and who deserves all praise.

Turn to the next book of the Bible – 1 Kings 8 – and I want you to see this on display. I want to show you how this is where everything was headed. In 1 Kings 8, David has died, and his son Solomon has just built the temple in Jerusalem. After he finishes building it, in his prayer of dedication, listen to what he prays in 1 Kings 8:41–43:

“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name’s sake (for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.”

There’s the purpose; it’s in your notes. Nations will come to the temple and behold God’s greatness. That’s where all of this was headed. What God set up in Abraham is now climaxing in the Old Testament with the Davidic kingdom: God’s people in God’s place for God’s purpose.

But there was a problem. Remember what God said back in Deuteronomy 17? “When you come to the land, and you say, ‘We will set a king over us,’ you may do so, only he must keep a copy of my word, and he must read it, and he must learn to fear me, and he must keep my word. He must not turn aside from my commands, either to the right or to the left.’” Yet David, after 2 Samuel 8 where we read about David, then Chapter 9 where we read about his kindness, and in Chapter 10, more victories.

But then in 2 Samuel 11, David finds himself staying home while he sends his army out to battle. And while he’s home, he goes upon his roof and he gazes out on another woman named Bathsheba. He calls her over to his house, where he commits adultery with her. He tries to cover it up, which is useless. No one can ultimately cover up their sin. It won’t work; it will never work, yet he tries to cover up his sin, and that only leads him into deeper sin as he ends up having Bathsheba’s husband killed. This is David, the anointed king over Israel, set up to rule and reign as the representative of God now given over to adultery and murder.

And unfortunately, he is not alone, but the same thing happened to his son Solomon. God had said specifically in Deuteronomy 17, “Do not acquire horses, do not acquire wives for yourself, or you will lose your heart. And do not acquire excessive silver or gold.” And Solomon does all of this, and he turns his heart away from the Lord.

And that becomes the story of every subsequent king after him. In such a way that the people of God end up dividing into two kingdoms: The northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. And the rest of the Old Testament is the story of God’s people under the leadership of sinful kings, one after another after another. And eventually the city of Jerusalem in Judah is attacked by a foreign nation (the Babylonians), and the people of God are overthrown, and this temple is destroyed.

But now what I want you to see is that, amidst everything falling apart, this promise to David and his line regarding the Davidic kingdom still stands. Turn over to Isaiah 9. In every one of these passages we’re about to read in the prophets, let me encourage you to underline every time you see a mention of David or David’s line or David’s family. Jim led us in this passage at the beginning of advent season, when God promised to send a son who would save His people, and I want you to look closely to the tie between Isaiah 9 and 2 Samuel 7. Isaiah 9:6–7 says,

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. 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.

A king will come, a son will be given, who will sit on the throne of David and establish His kingdom once again.

Then turn over two chapters to what Matt led us to see a couple of weeks ago in Isaiah 11. We will read verse 1, then we will skip down to verse 10. It says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit…In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.”

Now turn to the next book – Jeremiah 23. We are going to read verses 5 and 6. It says, “‘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.”’”

Then the next major prophet: Ezekiel 37. Listen to how similar the language is here, and how it is totally tied to the line of David. Ezekiel 37:24–28 says,

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

Then Hosea 3:4–5 says, “The children of Israel will dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days.” Then Amos 9:11–12, “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name, declares the Lord who does this.”

One more, Zechariah 12:7–13:1 says,

“And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.

“On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

So amidst all of Israel’s history, with king after king who turned away from God, there was a continual promise than an anointed one would come from David’s line and establish the kingdom of God.

2 Samuel 7 Discusses the Divine King …

And this is how the Old Testament closes: With God’s people clinging to the promise that we have read from 2 Samuel 7 that one day, one day a Messiah, an anointed one, was going to come from David’s line and establish the kingdom of God. For 400 years, they waited in silence. No word from God. Advent. Anticipating the coming of the Messiah. Anticipating the coming of the Divine King who will usher in God’s Kingdom.

So now, turn over to the first words of the New Testament with me to Matthew 1:1. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ (the Messiah), the son of David, the son of Abraham.” He gives a genealogy that starts with Abraham (verse 2), goes through David (verse 6), and then closes out in verse 17. Verse 18 says,

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

So this is how Matthew introduces the birth of Christ.

Then turn over to Luke 1. Mark skips somewhat over the birth of Jesus, but the first words out of Jesus’ mouth in Mark are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” And then you get over to Luke 1. Let’s see God’s People in God’s place for God’s purpose. Look at Luke 1:26–33. It says,

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

The Divine King …

God’s People …

Sound familiar? See the divine King: Jesus came from the seed of David. From the house of David. From the line of David. In order for 2 Samuel 7 to be true and for the seed of David to continue forever, then the Messiah had to come through his line.

But He is not just from the seed of David. Look at Luke 2:8–11. It says,

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Some translations have a note about this; the ESV doesn’t. But that word Christ in the Greek is Messiah in the Hebrew. “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Anointed One, the Lord.”

Jesus did not just come from the seed of David; Jesus came as the Son of God. He is the full, perfect, and complete representation of the Father on high. He is the earthly king – the only earthly king – who will finally reflect the heavenly king. He is the Son from the Father.

In God’s Place …

God’s people in God’s place. In Christ, we find our rest. Look back at Luke 1:67–75 and see if you recognize the imagery. It says,

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Sound familiar? Rest from enemies. Jesus, the author of Hebrews says, is our rest, and when we enter into Him, we find rest for our souls, rest from the battles we wage with sin, rest in the righteousness only He can give.

And then turn over to John 1. So how does John introduce Jesus? John 1:1–3–14 talks about how Jesus dwelt, or tabernacled, among us. In Christ, we find our rest, and in Christ, we see His glory. Which is why, in John 2:18–22, Jesus refers to himself as the temple. “I am the place where the glory of God dwells.”

For God’s Purpose …

And all of this is for God’s purpose. In Christ, the Divine King, He is saving a chosen people. Okay, just a couple of more places to turn; we’re almost done, I promise. Acts 2. This is the first Christian sermon, and there’s so much here that we obviously don’t have time to explain and go into, but just see the connection here between David and the Davidic covenant and the first Christian sermon, where the first people are saved from their sins, and the church is begun. Listen to this in Acts 2:29–36:

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Peter says, “It’s Jesus!” It’s Jesus that came through David’s line. The One you crucified was the seed of David and the Son of God – He was the Messiah – the Anointed One! “What shall we do,” they ask. Peter says, “Repent, turn, in the name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins!” And it’s what I would say to every person in this room. Repent! In your sin, repent, turn from your sin, turn from yourself and trust in Jesus the Messiah. God has done what He said He would do; He has raised up His Son to pay the price for our sins. He is our rest. He is the glory of God; receive His salvation today!

The divine King has come to save a chosen people and to exalt the incomparable God. Turn over to Acts 15:12. Gentiles were beginning to come to faith in Christ, and the church had a meeting in Jerusalem to decide, “Is this okay? All these Gentiles coming into the family of God?” And this is an important meeting in the early church, particularly when we consider that we’re all Gentiles in this room. Are people who are not Jewish, of the people of Israel, accepted into the kingdom of God now? Are they God’s people? And listen to what James says, and see if you recognize this in Acts 15:12–18:

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’

Did you catch that? What James does is he quotes from Amos 9:11–12 and says, “It was prophesied/told that God would rebuild the house of David, and Gentiles, nations, would seek after the Lord, and that’s clearly what’s happening.” Jesus is the resurrected Messiah, and He is not just worthy of the worship of the Jewish people; He is worthy of the worship of all nations!

Oh, we could keep going, but turn to one more book: Revelation 5. The scene here is in heaven, in eternity, where John is envisioning one who has the authority to once and for all, finally usher in the Kingdom of God in all of its fullness – God’s people in God’s place for God’s purpose – and listen to the scene in Revelation 5:1–10:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Did you hear that? Jesus the King, from the tribe of Judah, will be worshiped one day by every tribe and language and people and nation.

Now the question is, “What happened between Acts and Revelation to bring this about?” And the answer is the kingdom of God came. God’s people became God’s place and fulfilled God’s purpose. You say, “What do you mean?” God’s people – all who trust in Christ – become dwelling places for Christ; His Spirit lives in every single one of us. Our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit. God’s people become God’s place and fulfill God’s purpose.

Oh, do you remember the picture in the Davidic Kingdom? Nations would come to the temple and behold God’s greatness. Well, that would not be the case in the New Testament. God’s glory would not be limited to one physical location for the nations to come to. Instead, God’s glory would fill every one of his people that they might go to the nations. Brothers and sisters, we are the temple, you and I.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God, and together we are the church who has been ransomed by the King. And we don’t wait for people to come to us to behold God’s greatness. The temple now goes to the nations to declare God’s greatness. We give our lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and to the ends of the earth, telling everyone we can of the incomparable God who has sent the anointed King to take away all our sins.

The Bottom Line …

The Bottom Line: Put all your trust in this King. He is the only One who is worthy of it. Revelation 12:10 says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.’” Then, in verse 11, it says, “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Spend all your life proclaiming His kingdom.