The Davidic Covenant
In the
covenant God made with Abraham, He told Abraham that he would have a son
through Sarah and that in time a great nation would emerge. Genesis 17 tells us that nation and kings would
come from him. In time, the covenant commitment by God would focus on Isaac and
Jacob and the promise of a kingdom and throne would be limited to the tribe of
Judah, for Jacob said in Genesis 49:10, “the scepter will not depart from
Judah.” From within the tribe of Judah, the focus would be on David
and his descendants.
The historical background of the Davidic Covenant is familiar. When
David came to power, it seemed unthinkable to him that the One who had given
him his authority and government should continue to dwell in the tabernacle. He
expressed the desire to build a permanent house of worship for God in
Jerusalem, but because he had been a man of warfare and bloodshed,
God would not permit him to build that house. It would be his son Solomon, the
prince of peace, who would build it. God did however make certain promises to
David concerning the perpetuity of his house. The Davidic covenant was also an
amplification of the Abrahamic covenant, it is a development and expansion of
the “seed” promises of the covenant God made with Abraham.
God said to David,
When your
time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your
descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his
kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he
will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of
men and blows from mortals. But my faithful love will never leave
him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before
you. Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and
your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16).
The character of the Davidic covenant is the same as the Abrahamic, it
is unconditional and specifically stated to be eternal.
He is the one who will build a house
for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13).
The Lord said, “I have made a
covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: ‘I
will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all
generations’” (Psalm
89:3-4).
I will always preserve my faithful love
for him, and my covenant with him will endure. I will establish his line
forever, his throne as long as heaven lasts. If his sons abandon my instruction
and do not live by my ordinances, if they dishonor my statutes and do not keep
my commands, then I will call their rebellion to
account with the rod, their iniquity with blows. But I will not withdraw my
faithful love from him or betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my
covenant or change what my lips have said. Once and for
all I have sworn an oath by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His offspring
will continue forever, his throne like the sun before me, like the moon,
established forever, a faithful witness in the sky (Psalm 89:28-37).
This covenant is foundational for the Messianic hope of the Hebrew Bible
and the basis of the New Testament expectation of the future kingdom. God
promised to build a dynasty for David. He affirmed that He would give David an
eternal dynasty and kingdom with an eternal Ruler to sit on David’s throne. The
Ruler was to be one of David’s sons (his seed) who was also to have a
father/son relationship with God. This
promise found its fulfillment in the birth of Jesus,
He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his
kingdom will have no end (Luke
1:32-33).
The covenant included the following: (1) David would have a son who
would succeed him and establish his kingdom. (2) Solomon, David’s son, would be
the one to build the temple. (3) The throne of his kingdom would be established
forever. (4) Despite Solomon’s sin and God’s discipline, the throne will not be
taken away from him. (5) David’s house, throne, and kingdom would be established
forever.
Amillennialists believe, as premillennialists do, that Jesus is the Son
of David who fulfills this covenant, but they believe that He is fulfilling
this promise today by ruling over the church as He sits on the throne of
heaven. The kingdom is therefore purely a spiritual one, even though the Bible
teaches that David’s kingdom is a political kingdom.
There are several problems with the amillennial position because the
throne of David cannot be equated with the throne of God in heaven. First, the
Bible tells us that several of David’s descendants sat upon his throne, but
only one of his descendants sits on the throne in heaven at God’s right hand
(Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 8:1; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22), Jesus Christ.
Second, the throne of heaven was established long before David’s throne
(Psalm 93:1-2) which was established during his lifetime.
The Lord reigns! He is robed
in majesty; the Lord is robed, enveloped in strength. The world is
firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Your throne has been established from
the beginning; you are from eternity.
Third, if David’s throne and God’s throne in heaven are the same, why
would God promise David that He would establish his throne forever if,
according to Lamentations 5:19, God’s throne in heaven had been established
forever?
You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.
Fourth, the Lord Jesus drew a clear distinction in Revelation 3:21 between
His throne and the throne of God in Heaven where He presently sits at the right
hand of the Father. Jesus said,
To the one who conquers I will give the
right to sit with me on my throne, just as I also conquered and sat down
with my Father on his throne.
Luke 1:31-32 tells us that it is the throne of David which God has
promised to give to Jesus,
Now listen: You will conceive and give
birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne
of his father David.
David’s throne is Jesus’ throne. Since Jesus drew a distinction between
His throne and God’s throne in Heaven, then they must not be the same.
Fifth, God’s declaration to His Son, “Your throne, God,
is forever and ever” in Psalm 45:6–7 (cf. Heb. 1:8), appears to
indicate that God also recognizes the throne of the Lord Jesus to be distinct
from God’s throne in Heaven.
Sixth, David’s throne was not in heaven, it was on earth. Neither did
David nor his descendants ever exercise ruling authority in or from heaven.
Those who sat on his throne exercised an earthly ruling authority. The Bible
clearly teaches that heaven is God’s throne. Isaiah 66:1 God says, Heaven is
my throne, and earth is my footstool… (cf. Psalm 103:19; Matthew 5:34;
23:22; Acts 7:49).
Since the throne of David cannot be equated with the throne of God in
heaven, then while Jesus sits on the right hand of God’s throne in Heaven, He
is not sitting on David’s throne, thus His current ministry in heaven is not
the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Davidic Covenant.
When He returns, He will rule from the literal throne of David in
Jerusalem and establish the kingdom of God on earth.
Again,
it is important to emphasize that disobedience could undo the blessings of the
covenant to any individual or generation but could not set the unconditional
covenant aside. Disobedience, rebellion, and sin led to God’s severe
discipline, but God’s lovingkindness would never depart from David.
God was certainly given numerous reasons and opportunities for annulling
the covenant with David (if He wanted an excuse). But He did not because
unconditional covenants are not set aside due to the failures of the party on
whom lay no requirements for the fulfillment.
The
Palestinian (Land) Covenant
Four crucial aspects of the covenant
amplify the land aspect of the Abrahamic covenant. First, from the beginning of
the covenant relationship, God promised Abraham land (e.g., Genesis 12:1;
13:14-17; 15:7; 17:7-8). The land covenant not only reaffirms God’s commitment
to give Israel the promised land, but it develops and adds important truths
related to the land (e.g., Numbers 34:1-12; Deuteronomy 30:1-10). Second, the
land covenant is an unconditional covenant since it is an elaboration of the
land aspect of the Abrahamic covenant. Nothing, not even Israel’s rebellion and
disobedience could nullify the covenant. Yes, Israel’s sin caused them to lose
the right to live on the land, but the covenant has not been set aside. Any
conditions were connected to the receiving or losing of blessing, not the
fulfillment of the covenant promise.
Some argue that Deuteronomy 30:1-3 makes
the covenant condition because of the statements “when” and “then.”
When all
these things happen to you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and
you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where
the Lord your God has driven you, and you and your children
return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all
your soul by doing everything I am commanding you today, then he
will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again
from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.
A time element is the only conditional
element here. The time element in no way makes the whole program or covenant
conditional. The promise will be fulfilled when Israel repents and converts.
Third, the land covenant is an everlasting
covenant since it is a sub-covenant of the Abrahamic covenant. The God
established His covenant with Abraham, He said,
For I will
give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see (Genesis
13:15).
And to you
and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all
the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God (Genesis
17:8).
This
was confirmed later in Israel’s history,
But I will remember the covenant I made
with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a permanent covenant
with you
(Ezekiel 16:60).
Clearly, the land given to Israel by God
is an everlasting possession. This fact is critical in understanding its
fulfillment.
Fourth, it is one thing to live in and
enjoy the blessings of the land, altogether another thing to have ownership of
the land. Abraham and his descendants were given the title deed to Canaan. God
gave them the land; therefore, they own it. Because of the unconditional nature
of the covenant, Israel will take possession of and live and enjoy the land.
The fulfillment of this promise will occur
when the Messiah returns. Until then, the people of Israel lost the privilege
of dwelling in the land, but that in no way permanently sets aside the
provisions of the covenant.
The land promise was expanded into the Land Covenant found in Deut.
28-30. Ultimately, God states that both their suffering and their restoration
will occur in the future (Deut. 4:30; 31:29).
When Joshua took over leadership, the people of Israel were at the
entrance of the land, but not in it. To complicate things further, there were
enemies in the land. Would the people of Israel be able to take possession of
the land? Was God going to fulfill the promise He had made to Abraham despite
their unbelief?
The reply to these question from God came in the form of a covenant:
When all these things happen to you—the
blessings and curses I have set before you—and you come to your senses while
you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven
you, and you and your children return to the Lord your God and
obey him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I
am commanding you today, then he will restore your fortunes, have
compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where
the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if your exiles are at
the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from
there. The Lord your God will bring you into the land your
ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you
to prosper and multiply you more than he did your
ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and
the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and
all your soul so that you will live. The Lord your God will put
all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. Then you will
again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you
today. The Lord your God will make you prosper abundantly in all
the work of your hands, your offspring, the offspring of your
livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the Lord will again
delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your ancestors, when
you obey the Lord your God by keeping his commands and statutes that
are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and
all your soul (Deuteronomy
30:1–10).
Moses indicated that only when all the blessings and curses in
Deuteronomy 28 were fulfilled and when the people of Israel return to God and
obey him (verses 1-2), then would the promises in chapter 30 verses 1-10 be
fulfilled.
Six promises are made by God in those ten chapters: First, God will
regather the people of Israel which were scattered all over the world (vv.
3-4).
Second, God will restore them to their ancestors’ land (v. 5).
Third, God will regenerate the people of Israel; thus, they will love
Him with all their heart and soul (v. 6).
Fourth, Israel’s will be judged (v. 7).
Fifth, the people of Israel will obey the Lord’s commands (v. 8).
Sixth, the people of Israel will prosper (v. 9).
Centuries after God made these promises of the Palestinian Covenant to
Israel, some of them were repeated to later generations through Jeremiah
(32:36–44) and Ezekiel (36:22–38).
All
Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from The Christian Standard
Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of
Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Copyright
© 2020 by Miguel J Gonzalez Th.D.
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