Austin Bible Church
The Davidic Covenant is God's promise to David that he would have a son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would rule Israel forever. This is God's promise of the perpetuation of the Davidic line. 2 Sam. 7:8-17; Psalms 89:20-37.
""When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." (2 Samuel 7:12-13, NASB)
""My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him." (Psalms 89:28, NASB)
""His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me." (Psalms 89:36, NASB)
Although David’s line continued for about 72 years in the Northern Kingdom from 998 to 926 BC and for over 400 years in the Southern Kingdom from 1000 BC to 586 BC, this was not the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.
This covenant, as do all of God's covenants, depends on the love and integrity of God. Our Lord’s virgin birth resulted in the incarnation of the God-man Jesus Christ who is the Savior of the world. Jesus Christ died spiritually on the Cross for the sins of mankind. He then voluntarily gave up His human spirit and died physically on the Cross because His purpose on earth for His First Advent was completed. Three days later, He was resurrected and thus overcame death. The Davidic Covenant could not be fulfilled without the bodily physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 2:8; Rom. 1:3-4; Acts 26:6-8.
"Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel," (2 Timothy 2:8, NASB)
"concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord," (Romans 1:3-4, NASB)
""And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. "Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?" (Acts 26:6-8, NASB)
The Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ in His Millennial and eternal reign. The Son of David will rule not only for the last 1000 years of human history, but forever. The following diagram summarizes the Davidic Covenant.
The Davidic Covenant is God's promise to David and to Israel that He would provide a qualified Savior through the virgin birth. The promises could not be fulfilled without one qualified to do so. Hence, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus Christ is to return again to rule on earth as the qualified Savior, being of the seed of Abraham, and fulfilling the promise of rulership. Luke 1:32-33.
""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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."" (Luke 1:32-33, NASB)
The line of David can be traced down to the birth of Jesus Christ. Matthew presents the genealogy of Christ through Joseph in Matthew 1:1-17. Luke traces Nathan’s line of genealogy of Christ through Mary in Luke 3:23-38. Mary was the genetic mother of the humanity of Jesus Christ while Joseph became the legal but not the real father of our Lord.
The Davidic Covenant gives the time factor again when fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant will be as it relates to Israel or the Jew. It will be at the coming of Jesus Christ back to earth. When Christ returns, He will set up the Kingdom, be the king Himself, rule from His throne in Jerusalem, and occupy the royal line of David as the King.
David had been successful as king. He had been a mighty warrior and now had peace with his enemies. David wanted to build a temple to be a worship center extraordinaire. But through the prophet Nathan, David is denied this privilege because a promise was given to him of much greater value. God promised David that his seed would rule the house of Israel. The New Testament (Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38) records the fact that Jesus Christ was a direct descendant of David to fulfill that promise.
In 2 Samuel 7:1-3, David dwelt in a pretty fancy house and it bothered him that God dwelt in a ragged tent. Nathan gave his immediate consent to build a temple for God. He gave too hasty a judgment, however.
"Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you."" (2 Samuel 7:1-3, NASB)
Nathan received instruction from God that evening and Nathan proved to be a man of God. David was not to build a temple because God had not lived in anything but a tent among His people and He was satisfied with that arrangement. He had not commanded the building of a temple. 2 Sam. 7:4-7.
"But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, "Go and say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD, "Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? "For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. "Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'" (2 Samuel 7:4-7, NASB)
In 2 Samuel 7:8-11, God said in effect, “You cannot build a house for me, but I will glorify myself by building a house for you and your son Solomon will build that house for me.” Now remember, David, where you came from! You are what you are by the grace of God! God is saying, “David I’m going to make you a house.”
""Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel." (2 Samuel 7:8, NASB)
"even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you." (2 Samuel 7:11, NASB)
Upon David’s death, Solomon ascended to the throne of David and God defended his kingdom against the siege of Adonijah. 1 Kings 2:12; 1 Kings 8:20.
"And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established." (1 Kings 2:12, NASB)
""Now the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; for I have risen in place of my father David and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel." (1 Kings 8:20, NASB)
Solomon built the temple as the Lord said he would, but in his old age, Solomon sinned against the Lord by idolatry. Punishment was meted out to his kingdom by being split at his death. Ten tribes became Israel, two tribes became Judah. Yet, one part was still preserved to the family for David’s sake, and that one part or tribe was Judah. Thus, the Lord punished Solomon with the rods of men, but did not withdraw from His grace. 1 Kings 5:5; 1 Kings 8:15ff; 1 Kings 11:9ff.
""Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.'" (1 Kings 5:5, NASB)
"For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been." (1 Kings 11:4, NASB)
"Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods." (1 Kings 11:7-8, NASB)
""However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."" (1 Kings 11:13, NASB)
David’s throne will be occupied by an eternal king. God promised to not withdraw His mercy (mercy is extended to man in his misery) from the seed of David even when they went astray. Disobedience in the Davidic family was to be visited with divine discipline, but the covenant will never be abrogated. Just so our salvation which is built upon this covenant will never be severed, but to unfaithful believers divine discipline will be meted out. Our salvation is literal, eternal and unconditional because it is built on covenants that are literal, eternal, and unconditional.
A seed was promised prophetically to occupy the throne of David forever. The posterity of David could only last forever by running out in a person who lives forever and of whose kingdom there would be no end. The promise thus begins with Solomon and closes with the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalms 89:3-4; Psalms 89:34-36.
""I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations." Selah." (Psalms 89:3-4, NASB)
""My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. "Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. "His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me." (Psalms 89:34-36, NASB)
The qualified Savior, Jesus Christ had to be born of a virgin. The virgin birth was necessary to have pure sinless humanity. If Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin, He would be illegitimate, he would have had an old sin nature like every other human being, and He would have been a mere man. Only the virgin birth could qualify Him to be undiminished deity and true sinless humanity in one person forever, the perfect God-man. The virgin birth was, of course, a supernatural event whereby God the Holy Spirit provided the 23 chromosomes needed for fertilization, but without the genetically-formed old sin nature. Matt. 1:23; Isaiah 7:14.
“"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."” (Matthew 1:23, NASB)
""Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14, NASB)
Our Lord’s pure humanity was also necessary to be a human king of Israel. God had to take on the form of man to be the eternal King of Israel. Jesus Christ also had to be undiminished deity to become the unique God-man who would pay for the sins of the world.
Years later when the house of David had fallen into decay, Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David according to the flesh to raise up the throne of His father David. So Christmas commemorates the birth of the Savior who will be the most effective administrator of all eternity. Isaiah 11:1; Luke 1:26-37.
"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1, NASB)
"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." (Luke 1:26-27, NASB)
""And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus." (Luke 1:31, NASB)
An illustration of a great administrator is Joseph who was a genius at administration. At 17, he was responsible for his father’s sheep and was administrator over his brothers. His coat was not “a coat of many colors” according to the Hebrew text, but a “long sleeved robe” which was his insignia of authority. The older brothers had short sleeved robes. This is why they hated that coat so much. It represented authority that they despised. When he was taken into Potiphar’s house, he soon was the administer of the entire household. Joseph did the same when he was in prison. He soon became prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. But Jesus Christ is the eternal administrator who will guide the affairs of all eternity.
Another illustration of a great administrator is Moses who also was a genius of administration. He showed this genius even before he was saved at the age of 39. One year later at 40, he chose to not enjoy the grandeur of Egypt and to identify himself with the Israelites. Secular history indicates that he, as Pharaoh’s daughter’s adopted child, would have been the greatest Pharaoh the world had ever known. Here was a man who under the leadership of God could handle an assembly of more than two million people. But a man greater than Moses, Jesus Christ, has come!
A third illustration of a great administrator is Daniel who was also an administrative genius. He was second in the Persian kingdom and since this was a world power and recognized by God as such, he was the second most powerful man in the world. He was a man of God having an excellent spirit. He was one of the original Wise Men who six hundred years later came to worship the Christ child. But, Jesus Christ, the qualified One is greater than them all. Dan. 6:1-3.
"It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom." (Daniel 6:1-3, NASB)
When Jesus Christ came as King to announce that the kingdom was at hand, His own Jews rejected Him and they crucified Him. They killed their king. In Matthew 23:37-39, our Lord was weeping over them said, “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” This is explained by such passages as Hosea 3:4.
""Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'"" (Matthew 23:37-39, NASB)
"For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols." (Hosea 3:4, NASB)
In other words, the Davidic Covenant did not guarantee an actual ruler on the throne to be kept in effect. Because of their disobedience, the house would be desolate of a ruler for a time. But in Matthew 23:39, Christ Himself promises that He will come back as King of kings and Lord of lords.
When will this house, kingdom and throne be fulfilled? At the Second Advent. Just as there was a First Advent, so there will be the Second Advent. Zech. 14:4-9.
"And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one." (Zechariah 14:8-9, NASB)
Israel and Judah were divided and will be united in one kingdom. Note the context. Ezek. 37:15-28. Ezek. 37:22.
"and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms." (Ezekiel 37:22, NASB)
The Davidic throne will be reestablished. Amos 9:11; Jer. 23:5-6.
""In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old;" (Amos 9:11, NASB)
""Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. "In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, 'The LORD our righteousness.'" (Jeremiah 23:5-6, NASB)
In conclusion, Israel must be preserved as a nation. Israel will be brought into the Land at a future time (Second Advent). David’s greater son, Jesus Christ, will return bodily, literally, to reign over this future Davidic Kingdom. He will reign over a literal, earthly kingdom. This kingdom will be an eternal kingdom as well.
The reason that the Jews will get their king and nation in the Davidic Covenant is that they will exercise faith in Christ as their personal Savior. Obedience will be the tone and nature of the Kingdom. Before Christ can be their King, He has to deal with their sins. He did this on the Cross. Before Christ can be your Savior, He had to deal with your sins. He did that on the Cross. Therefore, having dealt with both the sins of Israel and the world in total on the Cross, Christ is free to set up the Kingdom at His Second Advent for Israel when they exercise faith belief. Salvation for anyone is always via non-meritorious faith in the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross as payment for our sins.
This covenant strips away any possibility of being rightly related to God through any other person or thing. The Savior had to be the son of Abraham, the son of David and also the Son of God.