Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty will be permanent.
2 Samuel 7:16
Into the Text
King David’s reign was one of the greatest in Israel. He united the kingdom, expanded the territory, and served as warrior king. More importantly, David was known as a man after God’s own heart.
David loved God so much that he wanted to build God a temple. But God would not allow David to do so because he had been a man of bloodshed. Rather than telling David no, God made a covenant with him, the Davidic Covenant.
Instead of David building a house for God, God would build a house, kingdom, and throne for David. God promised that David’s son would be the one to build a temple and that the kingdom of Israel would be at peace from their enemies. The greatest promise God made was that a descendant of David would sit on the throne forever.
God has shown us that the Rescuer would be a descendant of Abraham, an Israelite from the line of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and now from David’s family line. God’s rescue mission was still at work, and God was continuing to reveal more and more of who the Savior would be.
Though David was far from perfect (2 Samuel 11-12; Psalm 51), one would come who would be perfect in every way. He would be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He will one day rule forever as the eternal king.
Prayer
God, thank you for the promise you made to David and your rescue mission to redeem humanity. Open my eyes to see more of your great character on display in Scripture. Amen.