God's Promise to David
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King David
By American illustrator Jerry Harston (1943-2009).
By American illustrator Jerry Harston (1943-2009).
Who was King David?
David is an icon in Jewish history. He was a prophet, poet, and the author of over 75 Psalms in "The Book of Psalms." He was the second King of Israel and is mentioned 1,118 times in the Bible. More importantly, David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
The son of Jesse, David was born in Bethlehem and spent his early years as a simple shepherd and poet. He was also an accomplished lyre player, a stringed musical instrument in the lute family. Despite his humble beginnings, David eventually became Israel's second and greatest King. His musical talent led to an invitation to play the lyre for King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23), who suffered from depression. Listening to David play revived Saul, and the grateful King made him his personal musician and armor-bearer. This changed David's life forever. When David was around twenty, Israel went to war with the Philistines. David gained fame by killing the giant Philistine warrior Goliath of Gath in one-on-one combat (1 Samuel 17:1-58). As a reward, he was made a leader in Israel's army, and married King Saul's daughter, Michal. In time, David's growing popularity forced him to flee from a jealous Saul (1 Samuel 18:6-16) to the Philistines and live as a fugitive for years. After the death of Saul and his son Ishbosheth (heir to the throne), David returned to become the King of Judah and eventually all of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-5). David possessed excellent leadership skills (1 Samuel 22:2) and ushered in a golden era for Israel. He established a strong civil government and strengthened Israel's army. King David transformed a small, young country and turned it into a wealthy, powerful nation. He led Israel to victory over the Philistines (2 Samuel 8:1), Moabites (2 Samuel 8:2), Syrians (2 Samuel 8:5-6), Edomites (2 Samuel 8:14), Ammonites, Amalekites, and others.
David's forty-year reign (2 Samuel 5:4) was known for its fairness. God called David "a man after his own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), and although David sinned many times, he always repented and was forgiven. After David died at seventy (2 Samuel 5:4), his son Solomon became Israel's third king. God had promised that "all nations" would be blessed through David's family. That blessing was Jesus Christ, one of King David's descendants (Acts 2:29-30).
"The Gospel According to Matthew" opens with Jesus' genealogy to demonstrate that He was David's descendant (Matthew 1:1-1:16) and thus fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies. David's story can be found in 1 Samuel 16:1-31:13, 2 Samuel 1:1-18:33, 2 Samuel 19:1-1 Kings 2:46.
God's promises to David
"The Old Testament is the story of God's dealing with the Hebrew nation for the purpose of one day blessing all nations.
As the story unfolds, it is explained that the way the Hebrew nation would bless all nations would be through the family of David.
As the story further unfolds, it is further explained that the way the family of David would bless the world would be through one great King who would one day be born in family, who would himself personally live forever, and establish a Kingdon of endless duration.
{In the} 7th chapter of 2 Samuel, begins the long line of promises that David's family should reign forever over God's people; that is, there should come from David an eternal family line of Kings, culminating in one eternal King. Here are some of these promises.
"Thy throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16).
"If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 2:4).
"A son shall be born to thee... His name shall be Solomon... I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever" (1 Chronicles 22:8-10).
"If thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked... then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying. There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel" (2 Chronicles 7:17-18).
"I have made a Covenant with my chosen. I have sworn unto David my servant, thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne unto all generations... I will make Him my First-born, higher than the kings of the earth... And my covenant shall stand fast with Him. His seed will I make to endure forever, and His throne as the days of Heaven... My Covenant will not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out from my lips. Once I have sworn by My Holiness, I will not lie to David... His throne shall be Established forever" (Psalm 89:3-4; 89:27-29; 89:34-37).
"The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David: he will not turn from it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne"
(Psalm 132:11).
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen... that they may possess... all the nations, which are called by my name, saith the Lord" (Amos 9:11-12).
"Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David" (Isaiah 9:6-7).
"There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots...which shall stand for an ensign of the people, and to him shall the nations seek" (Isaiah 11:1; 11:10)
"Thou, Bethlehem (city of David)... Out of thee shall come forth One unto me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting... He shall be great unto the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:2; 5:4)
"O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord... Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a Righteous Branch, and a King shall reign... And this is his name whereby he shall be called, The lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 22:29; 23:5-6).
"If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David" (Jeremiah 33:20-21).
"I will bring forth my servant the Branch... And I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day" (Zechariah 3:8-9).
"The man whose name is The Branch... He shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne... and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 6:12-13; 9:10).
"In that day... the house of David shall be as God... In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David...for sin and for uncleanness" (Zechariah 12:8; 13:1).
Thus the promise of an Eternal King, to arise in David's family, was repeated over and over: to David himself, to Solomon, and again and again in the Psalms, and by the prophets Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Zechariah, over a period of some 500 years.
By and by, in the fulness of time, the angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, to Mary, who was of the family of David, and he said "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; And he shall reign over the house of Jacob FOREVER; and of His kingdom there shall be NO END" (Luke 1:10-11).
In THIS CHILD the Davidic promises found their fulfillment."
("Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; pages 184-186)
Sign up for Free Bible Lessons below.
David is an icon in Jewish history. He was a prophet, poet, and the author of over 75 Psalms in "The Book of Psalms." He was the second King of Israel and is mentioned 1,118 times in the Bible. More importantly, David was an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
The son of Jesse, David was born in Bethlehem and spent his early years as a simple shepherd and poet. He was also an accomplished lyre player, a stringed musical instrument in the lute family. Despite his humble beginnings, David eventually became Israel's second and greatest King. His musical talent led to an invitation to play the lyre for King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23), who suffered from depression. Listening to David play revived Saul, and the grateful King made him his personal musician and armor-bearer. This changed David's life forever. When David was around twenty, Israel went to war with the Philistines. David gained fame by killing the giant Philistine warrior Goliath of Gath in one-on-one combat (1 Samuel 17:1-58). As a reward, he was made a leader in Israel's army, and married King Saul's daughter, Michal. In time, David's growing popularity forced him to flee from a jealous Saul (1 Samuel 18:6-16) to the Philistines and live as a fugitive for years. After the death of Saul and his son Ishbosheth (heir to the throne), David returned to become the King of Judah and eventually all of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-5). David possessed excellent leadership skills (1 Samuel 22:2) and ushered in a golden era for Israel. He established a strong civil government and strengthened Israel's army. King David transformed a small, young country and turned it into a wealthy, powerful nation. He led Israel to victory over the Philistines (2 Samuel 8:1), Moabites (2 Samuel 8:2), Syrians (2 Samuel 8:5-6), Edomites (2 Samuel 8:14), Ammonites, Amalekites, and others.
David's forty-year reign (2 Samuel 5:4) was known for its fairness. God called David "a man after his own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), and although David sinned many times, he always repented and was forgiven. After David died at seventy (2 Samuel 5:4), his son Solomon became Israel's third king. God had promised that "all nations" would be blessed through David's family. That blessing was Jesus Christ, one of King David's descendants (Acts 2:29-30).
"The Gospel According to Matthew" opens with Jesus' genealogy to demonstrate that He was David's descendant (Matthew 1:1-1:16) and thus fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies. David's story can be found in 1 Samuel 16:1-31:13, 2 Samuel 1:1-18:33, 2 Samuel 19:1-1 Kings 2:46.
God's promises to David
"The Old Testament is the story of God's dealing with the Hebrew nation for the purpose of one day blessing all nations.
As the story unfolds, it is explained that the way the Hebrew nation would bless all nations would be through the family of David.
As the story further unfolds, it is further explained that the way the family of David would bless the world would be through one great King who would one day be born in family, who would himself personally live forever, and establish a Kingdon of endless duration.
{In the} 7th chapter of 2 Samuel, begins the long line of promises that David's family should reign forever over God's people; that is, there should come from David an eternal family line of Kings, culminating in one eternal King. Here are some of these promises.
"Thy throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16).
"If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 2:4).
"A son shall be born to thee... His name shall be Solomon... I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever" (1 Chronicles 22:8-10).
"If thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked... then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying. There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel" (2 Chronicles 7:17-18).
"I have made a Covenant with my chosen. I have sworn unto David my servant, thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne unto all generations... I will make Him my First-born, higher than the kings of the earth... And my covenant shall stand fast with Him. His seed will I make to endure forever, and His throne as the days of Heaven... My Covenant will not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out from my lips. Once I have sworn by My Holiness, I will not lie to David... His throne shall be Established forever" (Psalm 89:3-4; 89:27-29; 89:34-37).
"The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David: he will not turn from it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne"
(Psalm 132:11).
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen... that they may possess... all the nations, which are called by my name, saith the Lord" (Amos 9:11-12).
"Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David" (Isaiah 9:6-7).
"There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots...which shall stand for an ensign of the people, and to him shall the nations seek" (Isaiah 11:1; 11:10)
"Thou, Bethlehem (city of David)... Out of thee shall come forth One unto me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting... He shall be great unto the ends of the earth" (Micah 5:2; 5:4)
"O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord... Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a Righteous Branch, and a King shall reign... And this is his name whereby he shall be called, The lord our righteousness" (Jeremiah 22:29; 23:5-6).
"If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David" (Jeremiah 33:20-21).
"I will bring forth my servant the Branch... And I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day" (Zechariah 3:8-9).
"The man whose name is The Branch... He shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne... and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 6:12-13; 9:10).
"In that day... the house of David shall be as God... In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David...for sin and for uncleanness" (Zechariah 12:8; 13:1).
Thus the promise of an Eternal King, to arise in David's family, was repeated over and over: to David himself, to Solomon, and again and again in the Psalms, and by the prophets Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Zechariah, over a period of some 500 years.
By and by, in the fulness of time, the angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, to Mary, who was of the family of David, and he said "Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; And he shall reign over the house of Jacob FOREVER; and of His kingdom there shall be NO END" (Luke 1:10-11).
In THIS CHILD the Davidic promises found their fulfillment."
("Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; pages 184-186)
Sign up for Free Bible Lessons below.