There is a close connection between the calling of David and Jesus. David was a shepherd when the Lord called him to rule over Israel (1 Sam. 16:19; 2 Sam. 7:8). The Lord chose and anointed David to shepherd His people (2 Sam. 5:1–2). Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the chosen and Anointed One appointed by God to shepherd His people, the true Israel (Isa. 42:1; Mic. 5:2; John 10).

King Henry VIII’s (1491–1597) insatiable desire to have a son to be heir of his kingdom serves as the basis for one of the great accounts of church history. When Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, could not bear him a son, he sought to have the marriage annulled by the Roman Catholic Church. When Pope Leo X refused an annulment, the king broke from the church of Rome. In God’s providence, Henry’s zeal for the perpetuation of his dynasty ultimately led to the English Reformation, as members of Parliament appointed Henry to be the head of the Church of England. The divine hand of providence overruled Henry’s fleshly attempts to procure an heir and brought about good for the church. There is, however, a far more significant record of how the divine hand of providence established a dynasty through a son for the good of His church—namely, in the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David.

In 2 Samuel 7:1–17, the Lord promised David that He would establish an everlasting kingdom, raising up a son who would reign on his throne forever (2 Sam. 7:8–16). God’s dealings with David in redemptive history form the climax of Old Testament revelation. Scripture reveals that Christ is the promised son of David (Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 20:30; 21:9; 22:42). He is the new David, the King who rules as covenant head of His people (Ezek. 34:23–24). One cannot fully understand the message of Scripture without recognizing that Jesus is the promised son of David who fulfills the covenant promises (2 Cor. 1:20–21; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8). Much of who Jesus is and what He did is directly related to the person of David and the promises God gave him. To establish the relationship between David and Christ, the Scriptures reveal the typological identification that exists between them.

David is arguably the most developed type of Christ in the Old Testament. The typological connection between him and Christ is first understood by his name. The prophets expressly refer to the promised messiah as “David” (Ezek. 34:23–24; 37:24–25), as well as “the righteous Branch of David” (Jer. 23:5). This association is rooted in the seed promise God made to David in the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:17–23). David’s name carries a typical relation to the person of Christ, as David’s name is expressly connected to the Hebrew word translated “beloved.” Jesus is God’s beloved Son, the antitype of the beloved David (Isa. 5:1; Matt. 3:17; 12:19; 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17).

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