Covenant Class, Lesson 9

The Covenant Relationship Lesson Nine

The Covenant with David:  God knew in advance that a human king would be over His people (Gen. 49:10; Deut. 17:14-17).  Still, when Israel began to clamor for their own king so they could be like other nations, God felt He was being replaced (in other cultures, strength in kingship and religion increased together).  And the first choice of a king, Saul (1051-1011 BC), proved an embarrassment.  Saul was impressive in “externals”—his appearance and stature commanded respect.  Still, Saul failed his relationship with God and his leadership as king.

Notice that when a king was installed, his selection by God was signified by an “anointing” with olive oil (see Psalm 133).  The same ritual was used for prophets and priests.  The Hebrew word for “anointed one” is “Messiah” (and later in the NT, the Greek equivalent word is “Christ”).

David (1011-971 BC):  David was small in “externals” but had the “internal” qualities of faith and loyalty that made him “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14).  God established a covenant with David (2 Sam. 7; Psalm 89; Psalm 132) that contained the amazing promise of an eternal dynasty.  One of David’s descendants would remain upon the throne forever.  Psalm 89 contains the promise (vs. 1-4), a “punishment clause” in case the “sons of David” became wicked and unfaithful to God (vs. 30-32), and an oath that God would keep His promise to David even after such punishment (vs. 33-37).

The “punishment clause” applied:  The first “son of David” to continue the dynasty was Solomon (971-941 BC).  Although called the wisest man to ever live (1 Kings 3:12), he broke God’s commandment by amassing large numbers of wives and concubines.  Many of these were foreign women from political marriages, and they led Solomon into idolatry.  God responded with a punishment, tearing the kingdom in two. 

The southern kingdom (which continued David’s dynasty) was called Judah (since it retained only that tribe).  The northern kingdom was called Israel, and it contained 10 tribes (the tribe of Levi was dispersed among the two kingdoms).  The first kings were Rehoboam over Judah and Jereboam over Israel.

The kings of Israel set up idolatrous sites of worship (in Dan and Bethel) to keep the people from being attached to Jerusalem.  History shows that nearly all of these kings were wicked.  While the Davidic dynasty continued unbroken in Judah, there were several broken dynasties among the kings of Israel.  God finally punished them, allowing the cruel nation of Assyria to conquer Israel in 721 BC.

In 640 BC, Josiah sits on David's throne.  In Jereboam's day, a few centuries earlier, God foretold the coming of Josiah (1 Kings 13:1-3).  Josiah, after reading the Law and having been warned by Huldah and Jeremiah, initiated sweeping reforms ending much of the idolatry.  His successors, who proved to be wicked, were as follows:

•      Jehoahaz, also called “Shallum” (609 BC)

•      Jehoiakim (609-598 BC)

–     His son, Jehoiachin, also called “Jeconiah” or “Coniah” (598-97 BC)

•      Zedekiah (597-587/6 BC)

 

The Fall of David’s Dynasty:  In 609 BC, Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, reigns just three months.  Jeremiah prophesied his death in Jer. 22:11-12.  Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, has the nerve to burn the scroll of Jeremiah after being warned by him (ch. 36).  God swears that he will have no son to sit upon the throne (36:27-32), and his son Jehoiachin is quickly removed after being carried captive to Babylon.  Zedekiah was put in place by the king of Babylon, but after rebelling against Babylon the reaction is the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 586 BC.  The throne of David is apparently vacated (see Psalm 89:38-49, apparently written after this event) after an unbroken succession of some 19 kings (and one queen-mother) over nearly four centuries.

The Exile and time of Gentile Dominion:  Although God forbade foreigners to be placed over His people (Deut. 17:15), this was the punishment God inflicted in accordance with the “punishment clause” of the Davidic covenant.  For some six centuries, four Gentile kingdoms ruled over Israel while the throne of David lay in the dust:

•      Babylon (586-539 BC)

•      The Medes/Persians (539-331 BC)

•      Greece (331-183 BC)

•      Rome (183 to the crucifixion of Jesus)

 

Had God broken His covenant-promise to David?  It sure looked that way, and many thought so (as the end of Psalm 89 shows).  However, the prophets continued to maintain the validity of God’s faithfulness and prophesied the coming restoration of the Davidic throne and kingdom.  They often referred to the coming king who would bring the restoration as “the Branch” who would arise out of the stump of David’s chopped-down dynasty (Isaiah 4:2, 11:1; Jer. 23:5; 33:15).  In the Babylonian period, the prophet Daniel foretold the four coming Gentile kingdoms (2:31-35), and went on to predict a kingdom “made without hands” (2:34) that would “never be destroyed” (2:44) would destroy all of the previous, Gentile kingdoms.  The same message continues through Daniel.  The subtle promise from the prophets is that God has not abandoned his “chesed” to David and will take action in the future to guarantee this.

The “impossible prophecy” of Zechariah (6:-13):  Zechariah also prophesied the coming of “the Branch” but applied symbolism that must have appeared impossible to fulfill.  The high priest (Joshua) was to be crowned—a priest upon the throne!  This seemed impossible because priests were necessarily from one tribe (Levi) and kings from another (Judah)—and a man, through his father, could be descended from only one tribe.  How could a combination priest-king ever be possible? 

Jesus fulfilled the impossible prophecy, claiming priesthood according to the ancient order of Melchizedek.  He was born “king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) and ascended to the right hand of God’s throne after His crucifixion and resurrection.  Guess who sits now upon the throne of David!

The “restored” kingdom of David.  After the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus exactly the right question:  “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).  They asked the right question!  Peter would preach:  “Since [David] was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath that he would put one of his descendants on the throne.  Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah…” 

Thus, Jesus not only restored the dynasty of David over Israel, He was made King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14)!  Recognizing Him as the new Messiah, the Anointed One, perceptive disciples of His ministry called Him “Son of David” (Matt. 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30-31, 21:9, 15).  By virtue of His death on the Cross, Jesus was exalted to the throne.  This throne was none other than the throne of David, now restored!  And, being eternal and reigning from Heaven as King and High Priest, the eternal dynasty of David is not only restored but made permanent!