God's Covenant with David, 2 Sam. 7:11b-17

P. Dixon     7/25/10

The two scripture readings this morning were from Gen. 12 and Jer. 31.  The text of the sermon is 2 Sam. 7.  These three passages detail for us the terms of three covenants God made with his people:  the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant.  The unifying covenant of all of scripture and of these three is what we call the covenant of grace.  Herman Witsius puts it like this, “the covenant of grace is an agreement between God and the elect sinner; God declaring his free goodwill concerning salvation, and everything relative thereto, freely to be given in covenant by and for the sake of the Mediator Christ; and man consenting to that goodwill by a sincere faith.”  A covenant is a binding contractual agreement between two parties.  In short the covenant of grace it is between God and his elect people, whereby God takes the initiative in his grace and his people respond in faith.  Accordingly, the Abrahamic covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant should be viewed as expressions of the covenant of grace.  They are not in conflict with each other, nor does one replace the other, but each stresses a unique aspect of that unifying covenant.  The first stresses the role of Abraham as the human father of the covenant; the second, the role of David as the king from whose offspring the Messiah would come; and the third, the role of the Holy Spirit in the household of faith.

Today we focus on the Davidic covenant.

11 … Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.

How ironic.  David had just had a house built for him by the king of Tyre.  David then wanted to build a house for God, a physical temple, but God said no.  David would not do so.  Rather, God reminds David of his lowly beginnings and how God had blessed him.  To continue the thought, God now says He will build David a house, but not a house like David already had, but a dynasty. 

12 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.

After David passes away, God who will establish a kingdom from David’s offspring.  According to the rest of scripture, it was the coming Messiah who would be established in fulfillment of this.  Isa. 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.  7 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.  In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel tells Mary, 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end”  (Lk. 1:32-33).

13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

This individual will build a house for God’s name.  In this context it seems to refer to David’s son Solomon, who did subsequently build the temple of the Lord.  This is the view of the reformed study Bible notes.  If this is correct, then the promise is that God will establish the throne of Solomon’s kingdom forever.  It is not saying Solomon himself will sit on the throne and reign forever, just that the throne Solomon sits on will continue forever.  Subsequent kings from David’s offspring would sit on it, as well.  For this reason, it is best to regard this individual as Solomon and the subsequent kings, one by one, from David’s seed who would reign over Israel.

The One in whom this promise finds its fulfillment, however,  is the coming Messiah, the offspring of David, the eternal Son of God whose coming victory at the cross will be followed by his sitting and reigning as the King of Kings and Lord of Lord forever and ever.  Furthermore, the house Christ would build is the house of believers from all the nations of the world, who would repent and believe in Christ for salvation.

14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.

All the subsequent kings of Israel from David’s seed would have a father-son relationship between God and themselves.  This is elaborated upon by the following words:

When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

This verse shows that the meaning of the offspring of David in these verses includes all the subsequent kings of Israel, including that of Christ Himself.  These words are directly related to Jesus and to the household of faith in Heb. 12:5-6,  for whom the father loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives.

The words When he commits iniquity are translated by some versions as if he commits iniquity.  The idea either way is that it is not saying he does commit inquitiy, as Christ never did, just that if he does commit iniquity, then this is what God will do, as the father in the father-son relationship.  He will discipline him, just as a father disciplines his son whom he loves. But, it will not be directly, but indirectly, with the stripes of the sons of men.   As God had done throughout the history of Israel, so He would do when the king sinned.  He would use war as a means of bringing discipline.  It is interesting to note that after the kingdom split after Solomon’s death, we see this prophecy of discipline continually fulfilled because of the evil kings both in the northern and southern kingdoms.  The 70 year Captivity was the final discipline of the nation under the kings.  Thereafter there would be no king until the Messiah would come.

15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

What a great promise this is.  God will never remove his steadfast love from this king, as he did with Saul.  Does this promise refer to all the subsequent kings of Israel, or just to Christ?  If we assume it refers to all of them, then a false security could have existed among some of the kings who were dreadfully rebellious and unfaithful.  No, this specific promise pertains to Christ as the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.  The promise of eternal steadfast love is focused upon Him and upon all those in the house Christ would build.  They can be assured God will never take his steadfast love from them, ever. 

But, from Saul God did remove his steadfast love.  Because Saul had rejected the Word of the Lord, God rejected him from being king (1 Sam. 15:23).  Apparently it was then God removed his steadfast love from Saul.   We are reminded it is possible to experience God’s manifold blessings in common grace, to be held accountable for faithfulness and obedience, but yet to refuse to submit to the Lord and to obey Him.  Those who do so give evidence they never were of the household of faith.  Saul, like Judas, is an example of those who hear and respond for a season, even with joy, but eventually fall away when the going gets tough.  They have no root of faith, and they eventually fall away, giving away their unregenerate heart and lost condition.

16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

On the contrary, those of the house of David are those who have the same kind of faith as David had, as Abraham had, and as all the saints before and since have had.  Their faith is in the Messiah who came in fulfillment of this covenant.  They are in the house of David, the kingdom of the Lord, and his kingdom shall have no end.  He will reign forever and ever.  Blessed be his name!

Now, the specific terms of the Davidic Covenant are laid out in this chapter.  They are the following:

1.      The promise to make David’s name great, just as God promised to Abraham (Gen. 12),  9.  The names of both men are still held in the highest esteem by the nation Israel.

2.      The promise to plant Israel in the land with peace and prosperity, fulfilled under Christ in the new heavens and new earth, 10-11.  While this has been fulfilled in varying times and in various measures throughout history (especially under David and Solomon’s reigns, but continuing even to this day as God has brought Israel back to the promised land after 1900 years of removal from it as a nation), God has put Israel aside as the vine, because of its hardness of heart, and extended the promises to the house of David to the gentile nations of the world for a season, and then Israel as a nation will be brought back (Rom. 11), but the ultimate fulfillment is to be realized in Rev. 21-22 when the present creation is destroyed by fire and the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven when the new heavens and earth are created when Christ comes back.

3.      The promise to establish David’s house and kingdom forever; fulfilled under Christ and all who are in Christ.

4.      The promise to be a father, to unconditionally love and discipline David’s seed.

God’s covenants serve as models for all covenants.  The essence of a covenant is that it is a solemn and holy  agreement between two parties.   It involves a promise on both sides and the terms of the covenant are binding.    We make covenants in marriage which should never be broken, though they often are.  We make covenants when we join a church and they should not be broken.  We make covenants when our children are baptized.  Both the parents and the church make solemn promises to raise the child in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.   But,  lest we think our words are binding only when spoken in such formal and solemn occasion, our Lord reminds us that  even our words spoken informally have binding consequences.  He says, it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord … But I say to you … let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ for whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Today, as we come to the Lord’s Table, we are reminded of God’s gracious and binding words in the Davidic covenant, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13).  Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant, and of the covenant of grace.  It is because of Him and Him alone that we have the forgiveness of sins and peace with God.  He has died, been buried, and raised from the dead.  He ascended into glory and is seated at the right hand of the Father and reigning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  One day He is coming back with power and great glory.  To the Father and the Son be glory forever and ever.  Amen.