The whole theme of the Bible is God making a promise. We made a mess of this world, and the whole theme of Scripture is about God’s promise to create a people for himself. God refused to write all of humanity off. In Genesis 12, God appears to Abraham and launches a plan to reverse all that has gone wrong in the world since he expelled Adam and Eve from Eden. Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin and chaos to the world; God promises to bring blessing to the world through Abraham.

Think back over the past year. By the time we reach 11:59:59 p.m. on December 31, you will have lived almost 9,000 hours this year, over half a million minutes. And yet for most of us, this past year will be remembered by just a few minutes, the one or two big things that happened: a birth, a loss, a milestone event, a key memory that will be remembered after the rest of the year has been forgotten.

That’s how it is. You and I have collectively lived a lot of years now, but a few moments really matter. A few moments bubble to the top as more significant than all the rest.

The Promised King

That’s how it is in history too. Some events, some milestones matter more than others. One of them is found in 2 Samuel 7:8-16, in which God says to David:

And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth … And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. (2 Samuel 7: 9, 16)

This is called the Davidic covenant. In the history of God’s dealings with humanity, he made a few key covenants:

• a covenant of creation with Adam
• a covenant of preservation with Noah
• a covenant of promise with Abraham
• a covenant of law with Moses
• and, as we’re going to see with David today, a covenant of kingdom

Somebody calls them God’s self-written job descriptions.

When God makes a covenant he reveals his own job description and signs it. In almost every case he comes to the covenant partner, lays his job description out and says, “This is how I will work for you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength if you will love me as I am, cleave to me, and trust me to keep my word. (John Piper)

This is one of those key moments. If you were to trace the history of God’s dealings with humanity, you’d have to include this as a key moment. This is one of the most important passages in the whole Bible. It includes a number of provisions, including that David’s house, throne, and kingdom would be established forever. David wanted to build God a house, but instead God says that he will build David a house that will last forever.

Why is this moment so important? Because the whole theme of the Bible is God making a promise. We made a mess of this world, and the whole theme of Scripture is about God’s promise to create a people for himself. God refused to write all of humanity off. In Genesis 12, God appears to Abraham and launches a plan to reverse all that has gone wrong in the world since he expelled Adam and Eve from Eden. Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin and chaos to the world; God promises to bring blessing to the world through Abraham.

As the Bible unfolds, God keeps this promise. He creates a nation from Abraham. And his promise to David is a key part of God keeping that promise. The promise that God made to Abraham becomes even clearer as we read his promise to David. How would God bless the world? He would create a kingdom, with a good king, and that kingdom would last forever.

• God promised to make Abraham’s name great. Now he promises to make David’s name great.
• He gives them a place. “And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them…” (2 Samuel 7:10)
• He gives them peace. “…so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies” (2 Samuel 7:10-11)
• Best of all, he promises a royal household that will never end. “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16).

God’s promise to David is a key part of God unfolding his plan for the rescue of the entire world. You can understand how upsetting it was, therefore, when there was no longer a king on the throne after 587 BC. The people were scattered. Even when people came back from exile, there was no king. There were minor governors, there were various priests, but no king to fulfill God’s promise.

And to be honest, even before 587 BC the kings were a bit of a disappointment. Whoever said “All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely” was right. A king with too much power becomes a tyrant. The kings from David and Solomon down proved to be a disappointment. They ended up with a bunch of defective kings and then no king.

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