Throughout the scriptures, God establishes various covenants with His people, each of tremendous importance. Often, these covenants carry with them significant implications for both the original readers, the rest of scripture, us today, as well as the future. The Davidic covenant is no different, carrying with it major ramifications for the original readers, as well as those who came after, but most significantly, for how we understand Jesus, about whom the entirety of God’s word testifies. In order to best understand the Davidic covenant, and it’s implications, it will be helpful to understand what the covenant meant to the readers in its original context, from that what it meant to Mary at the birth of Christ, and from that what the future implications of the covenant are.
Even before the reign of Saul over Israel, the Bible makes many references to a future reality of (and at times the need for) a king over Israel. As Jacob called his sons together to speak to them before his death, the firstborn, second and third born are given not a blessing, but punishment. Instead Judah, the fourth born is told:
Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him: The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
Genesis 49:8-12
We see then that to Judah the scepter and the “ruler’s staff” is promised as something that shall be given to him and never removed. Further descriptions befitting a king and a prosperous kingdom are then made, with tribute being brought being brought to him, people obedient to him, clothing washed in wine and a beautiful appearance. Though this is fulfilled in part before the reign of David (and the reign of Christ), given that Judah led the tribes during their time in the wilderness (Numbers 10:14) and had the largest population in Moses’s census (Numbers 1:27), it creates a larger expectation in the time before Christ of a messianic ruler and a prosperous kingdom.
Later on in the book of Numbers, Balaam delivers his final oracle, saying
I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of the cities.
Numbers 24:17-19
From this we see a further prediction of a king rising from Jacob, destroying the enemies of Israel and exercising dominion. Thus, Moses creates in the reader’s mind an even greater expectation of a king who will not only rule over a prosperous kingdom, but who will also crush the enemies of God’s people. Though this was fulfilled in part in David’s time with the crushing of Moab and the other enemies of Israel, a theme of a coming king, delivering God’s people from the threats surrounding them is established.
Next, we see the desperate need that God’s people have for a king. In the book of Judges, we see repeated acts of sin from the people of God. After the most vile and shocking act of sinfulness, the book of Judges concludes with a simple phrase: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25) The implication being that Israel was in need of a Godly man to rule as king, leading the people not into worse and more disgusting sin, but righteousness and Godliness.
Finally, in 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel, having been long established in the land ask Samuel for a king. It is important to note, especially in light of the previous verses, that the desire for a king in general was not wrong, for Moses had, in many instances anticipated a king over Israel. It becomes clear, however, that though the people wanted a king, they wanted one so that they would be like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:19-20). Thus, as Samuel prays to God, fearing that the people have rejected him as judge, the Lord responds “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” (8:7) While the clear intention of the author is to show the sinfulness of the people, it is important to note that up until this point, Israel was not without a king, rather they were without a human king. For until the coronation of Saul, God had been their king. We see then an important dichotomy, that God was the king over Israel, ruling theocratically, while at the same time had promised through the scriptures that a king would arise from the tribe of Judah whose throne would be everlasting. Thus, long before the time of Christ, we see expectations not only of the throne of Judah never ceasing, but also of God Himself ruling over His people.
However, because of the sin of the people, Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin is crowned as king. This is not to fulfill the promises of old, but rather to give the people over to their sinful desires. God tells in 8:10-18 that the king would bring negative consequences for the people, such that they would cry out to the Lord as slaves of the king, asking for help, yet with no relief. Saul then begins by reigning well, yet soon falls into great iniquity. Many events follow, culminating in the rejection of Saul as king and David, the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah being crowned king over Israel. Following this, David captures the city of Jerusalem, which would become the place of his rule. With great celebration, the ark of the covenant is brought into the city and the people of Israel were given rest from their enemies. (2 Samuel 7:1) As David sees his palace, he remarks “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but he ark of God dwells in a tent.” (7:3) In essence, the king of Israel wishes to make for the Lord a dwelling place. God, however, seeks not a house for Himself, but wishes to make a house for His servant, David.
What follows is among the most significant passages of the old testament: The Davidic Covenant. God begins by reminding David that a tent had been His dwelling place since Israel had been brought out of Egypt and never had He commanded any of the past judges to build for Him a house. Much like other covenants in scripture (Genesis 15:7, Exodus 20:2), God, the suzerain, recounts His faithfulness to David, the vassal, before the conditions of the covenant are laid out.
I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you whenever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you.
The significance of what follows can hardly be understated. God promises to make David “a great name, like the names of the great ones of the earth” and that Israel shall be appointed a place “so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.” These statements clearly harken back to the Abrahamic covenant, where God told Abram (and reaffirmed many times) that He would “make of you [Abraham] a great nation, and I [God] will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) Thus we see that God would do to David what He did to Abraham in making a great name for him while also in part fulfilling what he promised to Abraham through David by giving to Abraham’s offspring not only the land, but peace in the land. As if this blessing wasn’t enough, God continues, saying
Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 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. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 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, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.
2 Samuel 7:11-16
We thus see the following in the second half of the Davidic covenant.
- The LORD will make you a house. Here we see a beautiful subversion of David’s expectations. David had expected to build for God a house, that is, a physical dwelling place for the ark of the covenant. Yet God, instead of allowing David to build Him a house, promises to the king that He shall build a house (dynasty) for him. God intends to bless His servant, David. Other implications of the Davidic dynasty are explained in further points.
- He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. It is not David who will build a house for the Lord, but his offspring. And indeed, Solomon does build a temple for the Lord (1 Kings 8). It also is important to note the implications of this promise given the context. Saul’s kingship had been a short one, for God had rejected him as king, yet the kingdom of the offspring will be unlike that of Saul’s, in that it shall be established forever. Yet even though this promise was fulfilled by Solomon, for the Jews hearing this passage there still would have been a future expectation, for after Solomon, the kingdom split in two, and after the Babylonian exile, the temple was destroyed.
- I will be to him and father, and he to me a son. We see here a special relationship between God and the king. David has clearly regarded himself as a mere servant of God, yet God shall regard not just him, but his offspring after him as His children.
- When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him… but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Elsewhere in scripture it said that the discipline of God falls upon His beloved, thus He shall discipline the offspring of David (and David himself for that matter). This is another great blessing to David, especially given the recent historical context. Jonathan, the friend of David, was a righteous man and would have inherited the throne from his father, yet because of Saul’s sinfulness, the kingdom and any possibility of dynasty was removed from him. David’s throne, however, shall be different, for even when his descendants sin (and great indeed is their sin), the steadfast love of God shall remain on them. This is demonstrated many times throughout the book of Kings, especially in the reign of Solomon, where his violation of the standards for kings (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) and rampant idolatry did not result in the kingdom being taken from him. God intends to establish the throne of David forever.
- And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. A fitting conclusion to the Davidic covenant, God summarizes what He has just promised to David. The house and kingdom of David shall forever be before God, and his throne shall be established forever.
This covenant brought to David multiple implications. Indeed, it certainly referred to the immediate offspring of David. Solomon built the first temple and his reign was marked by “peace on all sides around him.” (1 Kings 4:24) When he fell into deep iniquity, the love of God was not taken from him, and his son Rehoboam was allowed to rule over the people of Judah. Thus, it is likely that the original readers understood the Davidic covenant to have been referring (in part) to the reign of Solomon and the reign of his descendants after him. Yet, it would be incorrect to say that the understanding of the original audience stopped there. The first promise made to David was not fulfilled during the reign of David, Solomon, or any of the old testament kings. Israel was “disturbed” during the reign of David as a result of his son Absalom, again during Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 11), and many more times throughout the old testament, culminating in the Babylonian captivity, during which we see the seeming end of David’s dynasty, with Jehoiachin. Though the line had appeared to end, God had promised a throne lasting not for 400 years, but rather “forever.” Thus, throughout the old testament, as good and wicked kings came and went, God’s people would have had an expectation for the coming king who would establish them and give them rest.
Previously under the oppression of the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks, Israel found itself under the oppression of the Roman empire. In this historical context, the angel Gabriel appears to the priest Zechariah, telling him that his barren wife shall not only give birth, but that her son shall come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). While this passage is often tragically overlooked, it is exceedingly significant, both in the overarching Biblical narrative, but especially to Zechariah. The promise of one who would come in the spirit of Elijah is a clear reference to the end of Malachi, where the prophet writes “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6) There is much to be said about the day of the Lord, which unfortunately is beyond the scope of this paper, however what is important to note is that the day of the Lord functions as both a day of wrath and deliverance. Wrath for the unrighteous who rebel against God, and deliverance for God’s people, especially from all of their enemies. Thus, as Zechariah is told that his son comes in the spirit of Elijah, the clear implication is that the day of the Lord is coming soon.
After this, the angel Gabriel visits Mary, of the house of David, who is a virgin betrothed to Joseph (also of the house of David) and says to her “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33) The clear implications of this statement were that the King of the line of David was to come. It is likely that in this promise, Mary assumed that Jesus would establish His kingdom and save His people.
We see then that according to the Davidic promise (and many other prophecies and promises in the old testament), a king from David’s line would rise up and establish the throne of David forever. Such a king would be the one to fulfill the first promise of the Davidic covenant, that God’s people would be given a place and find rest from all their enemies. This king’s throne would be established forever. We also see clearly that Mary’s child was to be this king. Therefore Jesus is quite clearly the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. Though much is debated regarding the specifics of future fulfillment of the Davidic covenant such as the nature of the millennial kingdom, there are things that can be universally agreed upon by orthodox believers.
- Jesus is presently reigning (from heaven). Though some will disagree on the nature of this reign, usually around the topic of the millennium, it is clear from the scriptures that Jesus is to some extent reigning presently from heaven. To understand this, it will be helpful to look at one of the first and one of the last things said by Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus, having been baptized by John the Baptist and tempted for 40 days in the wilderness, emerged and “began to preach, saying,‘’Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17) This idea of the kingdom of heaven being at hand is present throughout the gospel accounts. At the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Thus, we see that the kingdom is now, and Jesus is presently reigning over the nations. Yet even with this present and glorious reality, we see that the Davidic covenant has not completely been fulfilled, for God’s people are still persecuted and put to death daily, and importantly, Jesus is not reigning bodily on the earth, which also is necessitated by the Davidic covenant.
- Jesus will return. As was previously mentioned, the kingdom is present. Yet, aspects of the kingdom have yet to be fulfilled, thus is it necessary that Christ returns in the flesh (not even to mention the numerous instances in the new testament where the return of Christ is promised). We, as believers, therefore wait for the return of our savior, just as God’s people in the old testament awaited the first advent of the messiah.
- Jesus will reign physically on earth forever. We see that the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant will come when Jesus returns, bringing with Him the consummation of the already present kingdom. What specifically this looks like is frequently debated by theologians, but what is certain is that God’s people will be given a place, afflicted no more, and be ruled over by their king who will reign over them forever. Thus, the return of Christ is also the ushering in of the new kingdom where God’s people will be given forever rest, and more importantly, Christ will reign forever on the throne of David.
Ultimately, the return of Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the scripture’s expectation of a king. As we saw, the original intention of God seemed to be that His people would have a king who is human (of the tribe of Judah and line of David), but also that God Himself would be king over His people. The establishment of the monarchy over Israel was not contrary to God’s plans, but exactly what God had planned, to rule over His people people. Thus, we wait for the coming of our King and the consummation of His kingdom.
This was a paper written for the Ministry Training Program at Southside Bible Church. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references are from the ESV translation of the Bible.