Prayer
When Queen Elizabeth the second died on September the 8th 2022, she was the longest reigning British Monarch. Her reign lasted for 70 years and 214 days. She was a much-loved Queen by many who would have loved her to continue reigning forever! But she was human and at the age of 96 it was time for her to give up her earthly life and reign and die.
Today we have heard from 2 Samuel chapter 7 of God’s promise to King David, that from his offspring he will establish a Kingdom forever. By the time David dies he will have ruled over Judah 7 years and all of Israel for 33 years. His son Solomon will become the next King and despite the evil committed by many of the Kings from David’s line, the Lord continues to love them, though as he says in the reading, he will and does discipline those who do wrong and do not keep his covenant.
While this reading relates to the coming years of Kingship, especially regarding the fact that David’s son Solomon will be the one to build a temple, this reading is also a prophetic one. God’s promise to David is one of the main scriptures in the Old Testament that point to the coming of the eternal King – Jesus. The one whose Kingdom and reign will never end. One born of David’s line.
Jesus is sometimes regarded as ‘Great David’s greater son’. He is the one God raised up to rule over not just Israel but over all the earth.
Over the past 8 weeks we have been journeying with David – from Shepherd boy to King. God chose David as one after his own heart. We have seen many attributes of David that did echo God’s own heart, but he was not a perfect King. Last week Luke unpacked for us the most well-known story of David’s imperfections, his huge moral failure falling into sexual temptation of adultery and then trying to cover up his sin, with murder. God was gracious and forgave David, though there were to be consequences and you can read all about those if you keep reading 2 Samuel and Kings. David’s rule would be marred with conflict in his own family.
However, after confessing his sin David did his best to live as one after God’s heart again. We read of his prayer for a clean heart in psalm 51.
As Luke shared with us, despite David’s sin, God did not remove his honour and he has forever been remembered as Israel’s greatest King. I thought it was important to acknowledge David’s great sin, as a reminder to us of the temptations that we have and the forgiveness and new life we can live through Jesus, the one perfect King who offers us grace.
As we finish this series today, we return to chapter 7 with God’s promise to David. A couple of weeks ago we heard how David brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He provided a tent for it to reside in. But now after being settled and at peace for some time David things it is time to build a temple for the ark. Initially the prophet Nathan agrees but then God sends him to David to say that he is not the one to build a temple. He reminds David that he has always journeyed with him and Israel and he will continue to do so.
Of far greater importance than a house of cedar or brick, God tells David that he is building a Kingdom through his offspring that will last forever. Wood and bricks will not last forever.
David’s reign will not last forever either, nor any of his offspring, but God’s promise points to Jesus. Jesus, the one whom we have been comparing David to over the past few weeks, Jesus, David’s greater son.
Here’s a reminder of the similarities and the differences between David and Jesus.
David and Jesus were born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means ‘the house of bread’, Jesus declares I am the bread of life.
David was a shepherd, Jesus declares, I am the good shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. David was the Shepherd for Israel; Jesus is the Shepherd for all the sheep, every tribe and nation.
David was anointed King by Samuel with oil and the Holy Spirit came upon him in power. Jesus was baptised in the water by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in power.
David was chosen as a man after God’s own heart. Jesus is the very heart of God himself.
David was tempted to sin and failed to resist. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are and yet he did not sin.
David was pursued and persecuted by his enemies, especially King Saul, but he chose to love Saul who sought to kill him. He spared Sauls life and mourned his death when he died. Jesus was persecuted, mocked, rejected and he was killed by his enemies. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and he forgave his enemies as he hung on the cross. His death and resurrection mean those who confess will be forgiven and receive eternal life.
Other prophets in the Old Testament also spoke of the one who would come from David’s line, the one who would be a servant King, a suffering King, a Saviour, the Messiah. Isaiah 11 speaks of a shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse. (Jesse being David’s father) Isaiah says the Spirit of the Lord will be upon this shoot, he will rule with justice and righteousness and delight in the fear of the Lord.
For many years the Israelites waited for the Messiah to come as God had promised. The one from David’s line who would rescue them.
And then one day the Angel Gabriel visits a young virgin girl called Mary in the town of Nazareth and as we heard from Luke 1, declares this to her…
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
…the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
God’s promise to David came to bear over 2000 years ago when Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was God’s son, but his earthly stepfather Joseph, was a descendant of David. Hence Jesus is known to have come from David’s line but was the Son of the Most High. God himself come down to earth. Jesus lived, died, rose again and then ascended to heaven to sit on the heavenly throne and reign forever.
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How do we respond to the fulfilment of the promise to David, in the coming of Jesus?
If we were to read on in chapter 7 we hear Davids response…he sits before the Lord and David declares how great God is, that there is none like him.
If we read on in Luke 1 we read Mary’s response – her song, the Magnificat – praising the Mighty God for all he has done and she prophesies what Jesus will do. Raising the humble, feeding the hungry, being merciful as he promised to her ancestors.
Our response should also be one of praise and honour to the King of Kings.
And what about the application for our lives from this series on the life of David? What have we learned? How should we live?
We are called to be a people after God’s own heart – being transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus – the one perfect King. We have heard that we are to love and obey God’s commands, to love our enemies, to express good grief, to worship wholeheartedly – maybe even exuberantly in song and dance, to seek forgiveness when we sin and continually realign ourselves to God’s heart.
David was a man of music, song and psalms. There are special anthems written for different countries and you will all know the national anthem that is sung for the Queen or now the King of England.
God Save our gracious KIng!
Long live our noble King,
God save the King !
Send him victorious, happy and glorious,
long to reign over us,
God save the King!
Thy choicest gifts in store
on him be pleased to pour,
long may he reign!
May he defend our laws,
and ever give us cause
to sing with heart and voice,
God save the King!
King Charles will not reign nearly as long as his mother Elizabeth. This anthem asks for God to save the King…
Jesus is the King who saves us, and he will reign forever with pure love and justice.
Let us stand and sing an anthem fitting for King Jesus…
Hallelujah! (play the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah!
The kingdom of this world
Is become
The kingdom of our Lord
And of His Christ
And of His Christ
And He shall reign for ever and ever
And He shall reign for ever and ever
And He shall reign for ever and ever
And He shall reign for ever and ever
King of kings
For ever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
And Lord of lords
For ever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
King of kings
For ever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
And Lord of lords
For ever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
King of kings
For ever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah!
And Lord of lords
King of kings and Lord of lords
And He shall reign
And He shall reign
And He shall reign
He shall reign
And He shall reign for ever and ever
King of kings (For ever and ever)
And Lord of lords (Hallelujah, hallelujah)
And He shall reign for ever and ever
King of kings and Lord of lords
King of kings and Lord of lords
And He shall reign for ever and ever
For ever and ever (King of kings)
And ever and ever (and Lord of lords)
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: George Frideric Handel / Ilan Eshkeri
Messiah: 44. Hallelujah! lyrics © Northdog Music Publishing Limited, Tcf Music Publishing Inc