Covenants in the Bible
Lesson 06 - On the Throne of Israel
King David was a man who made many mistakes in his life, but he was a man who loved God supremely and always sought to follow His ways. In gratitude for all that God had done for him, David had a desire to build a house for God.
Let's turn to 2 Samuel 7:1-28 and read together.
God would not let David build Him a house, yet He made an unconditional covenant with David. God reaffirmed the promise of the land where His people will be established and have rest (verse 10). God promised that David's son Solomon would be blessed and build the temple of God that David desired (verses 12-13).
God's promises did not end there! God promised to establish an everlasting kingdom where the throne of David would be established forever.
Did God keep these promises to David? Let’s turn to 2 Chronicles 6:1-17 and read together.
David’s son Solomon built the temple of God, just as God had promised David. Solomon reiterated God’s promise that there will always be a descendant of David to sit on the throne of Israel before God as long as he continues to walk in the ways of God and follow His law.
God’s covenant with David not only pointed to the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, but it also pointed to the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of God’s people.
Let’s look at some verses that refer to God’s covenant with David. Let’s turn to Jeremiah 23:5-8; Isaiah 9:6-7; and Isaiah 11:1-16 and read together.
These passages all refer to the coming of a descendant of David who will be a king that shall reign and execute righteousness judgment in the earth. God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, will come together and dwell in safety.
Who is the Messiah referred to in God’s covenant with David? Let’s turn to Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 21:9-11; Luke 1:31-33 and read together.
The Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ! Note in Isaiah 9:6 that a Child is born and a Son is given. Jesus became the Son of David when He took on the garb of humanity over 2000 years ago. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David (Acts 13:32-34). The first time Jesus came to earth, it was as the Son of David, to redeem all mankind. Jesus will come again soon, a second time, as the heir to David’s throne. He will establish His everlasting kingdom on earth. Jesus will take all His people – those who believed in Him as their Lord and Savior – to live with Him for all of eternity.
Let’s turn to 2 Samuel 23:1-5 and read together.
David was greatly humbled by the implication of God’s covenant with him. David understood that the “everlasting covenant” God made with him is a continuation of the covenants God had made in the past to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. It is no wonder that David proclaimed God’s glory, and what He had done, to all the nations in the psalms he wrote in the Bible (1 Chronicles 16:7-33; Isaiah 55:3-5).
Though David had committed many sins in the past, God always forgave him every single time he repented and asked God for forgiveness (Psalms 51:1-9). David meditated on God’s laws and always strove to follow in His ways (Psalms 119:97-98). David proclaimed the Gospel message and the coming Messiah (Psalms 110:1-7). It is for these reasons that God called David a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).
Friend, let us take David’s story to heart. We are flawed sinners, but God is willing to make a covenant with us if we confess and repent of our sins and turn to Him with all our hearts. Just as David looked forward to the coming of the Messiah and the heavenly kingdom, we can look forward to the second coming of Jesus and the day we can join Him in the New Jerusalem!
Friend, are you willing to become a person after God’s own heart?
