Kingdom Made Sure
Scriptures we don't normally read at Christmas • Sermon • Submitted
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This is the third week we’ve been looking at Scriptures we don’t normally read at Christmas, and some would add, but probably should. Today, we’re going to be looking at a passage that goes way back to the inception of the Davidic covenant, that is, The covenant that God made with David and his house that extended and was not fulfilled even as Jesus was triumphantly entering Jerusalem in that grand scene where he enters riding on a on a donkey and the crowds are shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
So let’s back up to the covenant and then we’ll look at what it meant to those people, and what it means to us.
2 Samuel 7
1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 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.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 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. 7 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?” ’ 8 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. 9 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. 10 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, 11 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.
Where does God dwell?
This passage is a great insight into David’s heart. He recognized that he was living in a great residence, that didn’t compare to the one that had been there for the Lord. It didn’t sit right for him.
There is something to be said about the difference of attitude we might have between our personal homes and our house of worship.
David recognizes that he has built up his personal house and neglected the house of the Lord. But God does not want David to build him a house, no that will be saved for one of his descendants.
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. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 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, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 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.
According to , Solomon said David was not able to build the temple (the house of the Lord), “because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, and in , we read that David said the Lord had told him he couldn’t build it because of the blood he had shed and the wars he had waged, “you shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth.”
In vs. 12 the Lord promises to establish the kingdom through David’s offspring. In fact, it will be David’s son Solomon who is commanded to build the “Lord’s House” for God. But until then, he will abide in tents until then.
The promise of a Messiah
If we’re not paying attention we do miss the statement that this is pointing to Jesus, the Christ. Yet the scriptures make it clear. We read in Hebrews:
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?
Hebrew 1:
Looking specifically at vs. 14 of our passage for today:
Looking specifically at vs. 14 of our passage for today:
14 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, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
14 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,
15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
The phrase “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son applies to Christ because as Messiah, Jesus inherits Davids role as representative of God’s People.
Then we get to the moving prayer at the end of Chapter 7 in vs. 18-29.
18 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? 19 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! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 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. 23 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? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 25 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. 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. 27 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. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 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.”
Intimacy with God
8 times David uses the phrase, “O Lord God,” expressing intimacy with God.
Psychologists tell us the most beautiful sound to a person is their name. David was known as a man after God’s own heart - he offers up his praise and affirmations readily to God. It’s not a Christmas wish list for himself, but it is focused around God Himself.
Why read this at Christmas?
There is a strong lesson here. Remember that God has made covenants in the past with Adam, with Noah, with Abraham, and now with David. What’s interesting to note in terms of a covenant, we tend to think of it as a promise or a contract, but scripture uses it as something much stronger. If you look at the covenants of Scripture and indeed by definition it is a promise but with an extreme commitment on the part of usually one party.
In Scripture covenant is a very weighty commitment, it simply says, “I promise…” and is totally independent of whatever actions the other party might take. This is important when we look at the Bible.
We see in our own promises that we break them. Often we think of them as contracts, if one party breaks the agreement then the other party is released of their commitment. This is not true in a covenant.
If I make a covenant with you, despite whatever you do I remain bound. This is demonstrated throughout Scripture we see God promise Israel and Israel rebel.
When Jesus comes riding in on the donkey in Jerusalem some 400 years later, since the time of the covenant the nation of Israel has divided and fallen, there have been two exiles, and the throne is still not established. Yet the people despite their rebellion held on to the covenant and hoped for hope that God would not fail to live up to his promise.
Their hope was fulfilled in the entering of the Messiah, but it wasn’t the Messiah they were expecting. They expected him to overthrow the government and make everything good for them, instead he went to the cross 5 days later. And rose on the third day.
Past —> Present —> Future
The promise was made for a Messiah back in David’s time, and it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He came, he died for our sins, and he rose again.
Despite all the hard things that had happened God still fulfills the promises made, despite our rebellion, whether hidden or overt, God overcomes it.
Where have you been doubting God’s promises?
Remember God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Trust in God’s promise. He’s not going to let us down. Let’s wait expectantly.