2 Samuel 7:1-17: The Davidic Covenant (And What It Has to Do with YOU!)

"Your throne shall be established forever." 2 Samuel 7:16b

Has anyone ever made you a promise? Perhaps it was a small promise, or perhaps it was a big one. Either way, did they follow through? Many times, promises that we humans make to eachother fall through. However, God's promises will always come to pass. Around 3,000 years ago, God gave David a promise, and it is still being fulfilled amidst us today.

In 2 Samuel 7, the chapter starts out with David asking his good buddy Nathan a question: "Yah know, Nathan, I live in a pretty awesome house, but the Lord's Ark of the Covenant lives in a tent. Don't you think that's a little backward?" Nathan thought about it a bit, and agreed, and told David, "Yah know what, that's a good point, we should probably build a house [that is, a temple] for the Lord." However, God had different plans. Instead of having men build a house [that is, a temple] for him at this time, he was going to build a house [that is, a dynasty] for men. Although God would ask for a temple later, he first sought to establish David's line as a dynasty for the rest of time.

Thus, God gave to David a covenant, which today we refer to as the "Davidic Covenant." Perhaps you have heard of it before, and perhaps you have not. Either way, we must realize that this covenant is a foundational covenant in scripture, and we must understand it if we are to understand the Bible.

In short, the Davidic Covenant has five aspects, three of which were fulfilled in David's lifetime, and two of which live on to be fulfilled even today. The five aspects are:

1. A great name for David (9b)

2. A permanent place for Israel (10a)

3. A rest from Israel's enemies (10b-11)

4. A disciplined heir from David's descendants (11b-15)

5. An eternal kingdom from the Davidic line that would rule forever (13, 16)

We won't dive into all of these aspects this morning, but let us focus on the last two this morning, as they both are extremely impactful for our own Christian lives today.

God promised David that there would forever be an heir of his sitting on the throne of Israel. Two things must be noted here: (1) This is a prophesy pointing to both the first and the second comings of Christ. When Christ came the first time, he came as King of the Jews to save people from their sin. When Christ comes the second time, he will destroy evil once and for all and set up his eternal kingdom without the presence of sin. The Davidic Covenant was given thousands of years ago, yet it still has not been completely fulfilled, yet it will be in the second coming of Christ. (2) This is a prophesy that we can hope in as Christians. Last time I checked, there was not an heir of David on the throne of Israel. Even in the Bible, there are times when the Davidic throne seems to not be fulfilled. Did God lie? No! The word for "forever" in this text refers to a "guaranteed outcome with possible interruptions." In other words, there will be a man who will forever reign over Israel and the people of God, though there might be or seem to be interruptions in between. Oh, and also, the name of that Davidic ruler who would rule forever is Jesus.

Phew! That was a lot of information, but what does it all have to do with me? Answer: Jesus. Thousands of years ago, God promised David that a Messiah would come from his line to reign eternally. That Messiah is Jesus, and that Messiah is the same one who gives David, the Israelites, and all of us HOPE even today. He is the one who promises to reign forever even when all we can see is our enemies surrounding us; he is the one who was promised to rule over us so that we might not be led astray; he was the one who will deliver us from our enemies. And if that isn't a good application, I don't know what is.

So, when's the last time you praised God for the Davidic Covenant? Perhaps you never have, but you ought to. By the Lord's mercy, he granted to David an offspring forever, and one of his offspring in the person of Jesus has conquered our sin forevermore, reigns spiritually now and forevermore, and soon will reign bodily forevermore. Without the Davidic Covenant, we have no hope in a king who reigns forever, yet with it we have hope that there is someone who leads, protects, and loves us eternally. Amen!