Davidic Covenant – foretells the coming reign of Christ
DAVIDIC COVENANT
The Davidic Covenant refers to the promises that God made to King David. God did not specify any conditions in the Davidic Covenant when He established it; thus, it is unconditional in nature, totally dependent on the faithfulness of God for the fulfillment of its promises. The Davidic Covenant is significant in that it foretells the Messiah’s eternal reign over all the nations of the earth. Though rejected by the Jews, the Davidic Covenant is a bridge between the OT promises to Israel and the kingdom of God now among the Gentiles. This is good news for both Jews and Gentiles if they will believe in him. Let’s take a look at some of the details concerning this covenant of God.
Scripture
In the first passage, the emphasis is on Solomon in II Samuel 7:11b- 16: Also the Lord tells you that He will make you a house.12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will 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 his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”’
The second account, where the emphasis is on the Messiah, is found in I Chronicles 1 7: 10b-14: “Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a house. 11 And it shall be when your days are fulfilled when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14 And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”
The Participants in the Covenant
This covenant was made between God and David, who stands as the head of the Davidic House and Dynasty, the only rightful claimant to the Davidic Throne in Jerusalem.
The Provisions of the Covenant
When you study both biblical accounts, you find seven provisions of the Davidic Covenant.
First: David is promised an eternal dynasty. There is nothing that will ever destroy the House of David; it will always be in existence.
Second: one of David’s own sons, specifically Solomon, was to be established on the throne after David (II Sam. 7:12). Absalom and Adonijah, two of David’s other sons, tried to usurp the throne; but Solomon, and Solomon alone, was to be established on David’s throne.
Third: Solomon would build the Temple (II Sam. 7:13a). Although David had greatly desired to build God’s Temple, his hands had shed much blood and he was guilty of murder at one point. Thus, he was forbidden to build the Temple, and the job would rest with his son, Solomon.
Fourth: the throne of David’s kingdom was to be established forever (II Sam. 7:13b, 16). It was not Solomon himself who was promised to be established forever, but rather, the throne upon which he would sit.
Fifth: Solomon would be disciplined for disobedience, but God would not remove His “mercy” (II Sam. 7: l4-15). Solomon did fall into idolatry, the worst sin possible in Scripture, yet God did not remove His favor from him. Why? Because of the unconditional covenant God made with David.
Sixth: The Messiah will come from the Seed of David (I Chr. 17:11a) The emphasis in the II Samuel passage is on Solomon, but in the I Chronicles passage, it is on the Messiah. God is not speaking of one of David’s own sons to be established upon the throne forever, but the Seed of one of his sons coming many years later.
Seventh: The Messiah and His throne, house, and Kingdom will be established forever (I Chr. 17: l 2-15). In this passage, it is the Person Himself that is established upon David’s throne forever, not merely the throne. Clearly, the emphasis in the I Chronicles passage is not on Solomon, but on the Messiah. The Messiah, as well as His throne His house, and His Kingdom, are to be established forever.
To summarize the Davidic Covenant, God promised David four eternal things: an eternal House or dynasty, an eternal Throne, an eternal Kingdom, and an eternal Descendant. The eternality of the House, Throne, and Kingdom is guaranteed because the Seed of David culminates in One who is Himself eternal: the Son God – Messiah.
The Importance of the Covenant
The importance of the Davidic Covenant is that it amplifies the Seed aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant. According to the Abrahamic Covenant, the Messiah was to be of the Seed of Abraham. This merely stated that He was to be a Jew and could be of any of the Twelve Tribes. Later, in the time of Jacob, the Seed aspect was limited to a member of the Tribe of Judah only (Gen. 49:10a). Now the Messianic Seed aspect is further narrowed to one family within the Tribe of Judah, the family of David. Notice how through the covenants there has been a gradual narrowing of the Seed. According to the Edenic Covenant, the Messiah must be of the Seed of the woman, but this meant He could come from any part of humanity. According to the Abrahamic Covenant, He had to come out of Jewish descent, which meant He could come out of any tribe of Israel. With the confirmation of this covenant, through Jacob’s twelve sons, He now had to come out of the Tribe of Judah, but this permits Him to come from any family of Judah. With the Davidic Covenant, the Messiah had to come from the seed of David.
The Confirmation of the Covenant
In several verses, the Davidic Covenant received further confirmation: II Samuel 23: 1 -5; Psalm 89: l -52; Isaiah 9:6-7; l l: 1;Jeremiah 23:5-6; 30:8-9; 33: 14- 1 7, 19-26; Ezekiel 37:24-25; Hosea 3:4- 5; Amos 9:11; Luke 1:30-35, 68-70; and Acts 15: 14- 18.
The Status of the Covenant
The Davidic Covenant is as noted earlier is an unconditional covenant and yet to totally be fulfilled so it is still very much in effect as an eternal covenant.