WEEKLY READINGS:
Genesis 33 - 35, James 1 - 3
READING FOR STUDY PAPER:
2 Samuel 7
King David was the second king to rule over the Jews. After many trials and adventures, David built a palace in Jerusalem, and there he lived and reigned.
When David thought about the way in which God had blessed him, and then thought about the Ark of God which was still kept in a tent, he wanted to build a fine Temple at Jerusalem in which the Ark could be kept.
(The Ark was a special chest containing the Ten Commandments, and having a cover known as the Mercy Seat, upon which God's glory shone).
David told Nathan, the prophet of God, what he wanted to do. Nathan told David to go ahead; but that night God spoke to Nathan, giving him a special message for David.
God's message to David
Turn again to II Samuel, chapter 7. The most important part of God's message to David is in verses 12-16.
Here God promises David a son (again we get that Jewish word, `seed', which means a son, or descendant).
He says of this promised son, "He shall build an house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom FOR EVER"
(Verse 13).
This was to happen after David's death, for it was to be "When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers"
(verse 12)
More about the Son of David
Now David had a son called Solomon, who reigned after him in Jerusalem. But he was made king while David was still alive.
And, of course, he did not reign for ever.
This promised son was to be a very special person, for God says of Him.
"I will be His father, and He shall be My son" (2 Samuel 7:14).
Turn to the first chapter of Luke. Here we read of an angel coming to a young woman - one of King David's descendants - and telling her that she would have a son.
This son was to be born, not through an earthly father, as all other children are but through the power of God; for the young woman, whose name was Mary, was told,
"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35).
The angel also told Mary,
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:32-33).
Now we can see how the promise which God made to David was fulfilled when Christ was born.
1. God was His Father.
2. He was to reign for ever.
The King of the Jews
Jesus was born to be a King. The wise men, when they came to worship Him, asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?"
When Jesus was arrested and taken before Pilate to be tried, Pilate said to Him, "Art Thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered,
"Thou sayest it" (Mark 15:2).
That is the Jewish way of saying, "Yes, I certainly am".
As we have already seen, Jesus will come back to this earth to be King of the Jews, and to reign on David's throne.
A world - wide kingdom Jesus is not only to be the King of the Jews when He comes back. He is to reign over the whole earth. God says of Him, "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6).
What about David?
Although David realised that this promises was not to be fulfilled for a very long time, he was full of thankfulness to God, and we can read his prayer of thanks in 2 Samuel 7:18-29.
God has said, "Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever BEFORE THEE" (2 Samuel 7:16).
So David knew that when at last his great Son (the Lord Jesus) reigned in Jerusalem, he himself would be raised from the dead, so that he might share the joys of the kingdom.
David often thought about this solemn promise - or covenant - that God had made with him, and he speaks about it in the Psalms. For instance, in Psalm 89, verses 2-4, we read, "For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: Thy faithfulness shalt Thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David My servant, thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations."
David also speaks of these things in Psalm 16. He says, "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell (that is, the grave); neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" (verse 10).
Jesus was God's Holy One, and He did not "see corruption". His body did not decay, because God raised Him from the dead after three days.
Something to look forward to Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:39-40,
"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promises: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
Now Abraham, and David, and many other faithful men, died knowing that in the day of Jesus Christ's coming they would be raised again and "made perfect" - given eternal life with all who belong to Jesus.
A key verse
We have seen that Jesus Christ is both the seed of Abraham and the seed of David.
The very first verse of the New Testament begins, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
So we are only able to understand the New Testament, if we have read and understood the Old.
Summary