The Faithful and True King, 2 Samuel 7:11-17
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Our passage today is considered by some to be the pinnacle of David’s life. Others see it as the center and focus of the OT, or at least the center of the writings concerning David. Other commentators and theologians consider this passage to be the most crucial theological statement in all of the OT.
Similar to the way God’s promise to Abraham was central to the identity and hope of the people of Israel, the covenant God makes with the house of David is central to the message of hope the prophets give later in Israel’s history.
2 Samuel 7:1–17 (ESV)
“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. 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.”
David wanted to build the Lord a house or temple to dwell in, God promised to make David a dynasty or house for His glory.
The play on words in 2 Samuel from David to the Lord through Nathan is significant. In 2 Samuel 7:1-4 David expresses a desire to build a house for the Lord. But, in 2 Samuel 7:11 God says that He is going to build or establish a dynasty (house) through David.
“David did not need to construct an impressive but lifeless building in which the Lord could dwell; the Lord had already constructed an impressive living building in which to dwell, and that edifice was the life of David.”
While it’s true that David’s son, Solomon, built the temple in Jerusalem. The promise that God made was not fulfilled in Solomon. Solomon didn’t live forever (verse 13) and his kingdom came to end upon his death. But, like some prophecies in Scripture there is an immediate partial fulfillment that is fully realized later in the Messiah. This passage is one of those…
Solomon was the seed of David (verse 12) Solomon built the temple (verse 13) Solomon experienced corrective discipline from the Lord at the hands of men (verse 14) (see 1 Kings 11:14, 23-26) God promised to never remove his loving commitment from David’s descendants. (Verse 15) God promised that David’s descendant would reign on the throne forever… and this is where we look to Jesus Christ.
“The Lord’s words recorded here arguably play the single most significant role of any Scripture found in the Old Testament in shaping the Christian understanding of Jesus.”
Jesus Christ is the Promised King
“Christ” is a title, not a last name.
When we read or hear Jesus Christ “We should be thinking Jesus the Messiah, the one God anointed to bring about our redemption.” - DA Carson
Matthew begins His gospel with the two-fold claim that Jesus is the King and Messiah that was promised to Abraham and David
Jesus is the seed of David
Matthew 1:1 (ESV)
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Jesus is the temple.
Matthew 26:61 (ESV)
61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
Matthew 27:40 (ESV)
40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Mark 14:58 (ESV)
58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
John 2:19–22 (ESV)
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Jesus undeservedly experienced the rod and stripes of men
John 19:1–5 (ESV)
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”
John 19:16–21 (ESV)
16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ”
Jesus reigns forever on His eternal throne over an imperishable kingdom
Matthew 19:28–29 (ESV)
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Luke 22:29–30 (ESV)
29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
John 18:36 (ESV)
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
So how then does Jesus being King impact our lives as Christians?
It means that we have a King, and everything we do is in obedience and honor to Jesus Christ.
We unite our citizenship & confession
In the early days of the church under the Roman Empire…
Jesus is Lord (Jesus ho kurios) vs Caesar is Lord (kaisar kurios)
RC Sproul wrote, “When Paul says that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess, the reason for the bowing in obeisance and for confessing is that they are to declare with their lips that Jesus is Lord — that is, He is the sovereign ruler. That was the first confession of faith of the early church. Then Rome, in her misguided, pagan tyranny tried to enforce a loyalty oath to the emperor cult of religion, in which all people were required to recite the phrase kaisar kurios — "Caesar is lord." The Christians responded by showing every possible form of civil obedience, by paying their taxes, by honoring the king, by being model citizens; but they could not in good conscience obey the mandate of Caesar to proclaim him lord. Their response to the loyalty oath, kaisar kurios, was as profound in its ramifications as it was simple in its expression, Jesus ho kurios, Jesus is Lord. The lordship of Jesus is not simply a hope of Christians that someday might be realized; it is a truth that has already taken place. It is the task of the church to bear witness to that invisible kingdom, or as Calvin put it, it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom of Christ visible. Though invisible, it is nevertheless real.”
This is as applicable today as it was in the days of Rome. You are always being called to pledge your allegiance and profess your identity. In the same way that Rome called upon all of its citizens to pledge allegiance and confess Caesar as Lord, our country today is in a battle over the hearts and minds of its citizens… and when they come knocking at your door and ask for your allegiance, your response should be the same as your brothers and sisters in Christ who came before you… “Jesus is Lord”
What political party are you? Jesus is Lord
What economic plan do you support? Jesus is Lord
What’s your opinion on the social issues of the day? Jesus is Lord
And with each confession of Christ as Lord we claim our citizenship over and over again… but truthfully this happens as much through the way that we live as it does with our words. In fact, when the world calls you to immorality your moral response is one of the ways that you declare that Christ is Lord.
When someone asks you, why are you pro-life? Jesus is Lord
When someone asks you why you are pure until marriage? Jesus is Lord
When someone asks you why you adopted, or why you are fostering? Jesus is Lord
When someone asks you why you won’t cheat on your spouse? Jesus is Lord
When someone asks you why you had children or even got married in the first place? Jesus is Lord
When you claim that Jesus is Lord you are claiming that you live according to His rule, and to live according to His rule is to follow the rulers placed over you until they lead you against Him.
But, to live according to His rule is to live in a way that makes the invisible visible.
We live to make the invisible visible
“We must make the invisible kingdom visible in our midst.” - John Calvin
This means we live on earth the way that we would if we were in heaven.
“On earth as it is heaven…”
Matthew 6:9–10 (ESV) says, 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Faithfulness Obedience Justice Mercy Compassion Kindness Love Sacrifice Servant hearted Gracious Patient Humble Devoted, Firm, Strong Meek Holy Pure Righteous
We make the invisible visible by living by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:5–10 (ESV) says, “5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Obedience and faithfulness lead to stronger faith.
“As a weak limb grows stronger by exercise, so will your faith be strengthened by the very efforts you make in stretching it out toward things unseen.” - James Aughey
Rest and Trust in the power of our King
“When the heart is at rest in Jesus — unseen, unheard by the world — the Spirit comes, and softly fills the believing soul, quickening all, renewing all within.” - Robert Murray McCheyne.
Resting in Jesus leads to the renewal and the strengthening of the one who trusts.
And, we can rest and trust in the power of our King because the power of our King is more than you can imagine. It is so powerful that He can and will defeat Satan with simply a word. Or as Martin Luther wrote in the great Hymn, “A mighty fortress is our God…”
“The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.” - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Jesus is the Faithful and True King
Notes, Quotes, & Thoughts:
In applying v. 13 to Jesus, the New Testament writers took their cue from Jesus himself. Three of Jesus’ claims concerning himself allude to this verse. First, Jesus claimed he would build a temple (cf. Matt 26:61; 27:40; Mark 14:58; 15:29; John 2:19–22). Second, he claimed to possess an eternal throne (cf. Matt 19:28–29). Finally, he claimed to possess an imperishable kingdom (cf. Luke 22:29–30; John 18:36).
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 340.
“The King is already in place. He has already received all authority on heaven and on earth. That means that at this very moment the supreme authority over the kingdoms of this world and over the entire cosmos is in the hands of King Jesus. There is no inch of real estate, no symbol of power in this world that is not under His ownership and His rule at this very moment. In Paul's letter to the Philippians, in chapter 2, in the so-called kenotic hymn, it is said that Jesus is given the name that is above all names. The name that He is given that rises above all other titles that anyone can receive, is a name that is reserved for God. It is God's title Adonai, which means the "One who is absolutely sovereign." Again, this title is one of supreme governorship for the One who is the King of all of the earth.The New Testament translation of the Old Testament title adonai is the name lord. When Paul says that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess, the reason for the bowing in obeisance and for confessing is that they are to declare with their lips that Jesus is Lord — that is, He is the sovereign ruler. That was the first confession of faith of the early church. Then Rome, in her misguided, pagan tyranny tried to enforce a loyalty oath to the emperor cult of religion, in which all people were required to recite the phrase kaisar kurios — "Caesar is lord." The Christians responded by showing every possible form of civil obedience, by paying their taxes, by honoring the king, by being model citizens; but they could not in good conscience obey the mandate of Caesar to proclaim him lord. Their response to the loyalty oath, kaisar kurios, was as profound in its ramifications as it was simple in its expression, Jesus ho kurios, Jesus is Lord. The lordship of Jesus is not simply a hope of Christians that someday might be realized; it is a truth that has already taken place. It is the task of the church to bear witness to that invisible kingdom, or as Calvin put it, it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom of Christ visible. Though invisible, it is nevertheless real.” - RC Sproul, https://www.ligonier.org/posts/jesus-king-kings
“When the heart is at rest in Jesus — unseen, unheard by the world — the Spirit comes, and softly fills the believing soul, quickening all, renewing all within.” - Robert Murray McCheyne.
“As a weak limb grows stronger by exercise, so will your faith be strengthened by the very efforts you make in stretching it out toward things unseen.” - James Aughey
“In Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” the great Reformer penned these memorable words: “The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.” One little word. One little word is all that stands between Satan and his complete destruction. Satan may rule as prince in this world, but his reign is fragile. He can reign only as long as the King permits. We see a powerful glimpse of his fragile power in one of Jesus’ greatest miracles.” - Tim Challies, https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/jesus-is-king
The Lord’s words recorded here arguably play the single most significant role of any Scripture found in the Old Testament in shaping the Christian understanding of Jesus.
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 337.
David did not need to construct an impressive but lifeless building in which the Lord could dwell; the Lord had already constructed an impressive living building in which to dwell, and that edifice was the life of David. Though the ark resided in a lifeless tent of skin, in a very real sense the Lord resided in the living tent of David.66 And the Lord was not finished adorning his earthly dwelling place; he would make David’s “name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth”—a covenantal promise not made by the Lord to an individual since the days of Abraham (cf. Gen 12:2).
66 Later Yahwistic prophets referred to the Davidic dynasty as the “tent of David” (cf. Isa 16:5; Amos 9:11; Acts 15:16); the metaphor is appropriate to this passage.
Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 339.