We're in 2 Samuel chapter 7 today.
Well, as you're turning to 2 Samuel 7,
I'll explain what series we are in right now.
So, we finish going through the gospel according to John.
We begin a shorter series on covenant theology,
seeing the divine covenants,
when God has sworn and made a vow to humans.
We saw the covenant God made with Adam,
the covenant God made through Noah with all of creation.
We saw the covenant the Lord made with Abraham, with Moses.
There are two more covenants left.
Then we paused after Moses, and we had eight weeks in the Psalms.
So, we finished with Psalm 16 last week.
We're picking up on covenant theology.
The last two covenants, do you know what they are?
The covenant God made with David,
and then finally, the new covenant in Jesus Christ.
We spent two weeks on each covenant.
So, this is the Davidic covenant part one.
Next week, open air.
The Davidic covenant part two.
Pray for me.
And then, we'll be the new covenant.
The covenant the Lord made through Jesus Christ for two weeks.
After that, we'll begin in the book of the Bible,
and I'll share more about that with you later.
For a bit of review to set up the context here of today's sermon text,
the Abrahamic covenant promised a realm and a people for God's kingdom.
The Mosaic covenant provided God's law for that kingdom.
Now, in the Davidic covenant, God is promising a human king over his kingdom.
God establishes purpose over all of creation by giving to the first federal head, Adam,
dominion over all that God had made.
And now, it's going to reach a new stage of progressive history leading up to that final fulfillment
of God's original promise.
Who will be the next federal head, the new Adam?
Paul calls him the second Adam, the new creation, the firstborn.
And that will be our Lord Jesus Christ.
But the promise to David that you'll see today sets that stage.
It tees it up.
And that's what the Messianic promises are fulfilled,
fulfilling this that we'll read today.
All right.
Well, as we read God's word,
I do so believing this is God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.
It's God's very own word for you, his people.
So after I'm done reading, I'll say this is the word of God.
If you receive it that way, you can say thanks be to God.
2 Samuel chapter 7.
I'm going to read verses 8 through 16.
Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David.
This is the Lord instructing the prophet Nathan.
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep to be ruler over my people, over Israel.
And I have been with you wherever you have gone,
and have cut off all your enemies from before you,
and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on earth.
Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel,
and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own,
and move no more, nor shall their sons of wickedness oppress them any more,
as previously, since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel,
and have caused you to rest from all your enemies.
Also the Lord tells you that he will make you a house.
When your days are fulfilled, and you rest with your fathers,
I will set up your seed after you,
who will come from your body,
and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for my name,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Verse 14.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
If he commits iniquity,
I will chasten him with the rod of men,
and with the blows of the sons of men.
But my mercy shall not depart from him,
as I took it from Saul,
whom I removed from before you.
And your house and your kingdom
shall be established forever before you.
Your throne shall be established forever.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
You may be seated.
Let's pray.
O Lord Jesus,
in your glorified body,
you walked with your disciples.
You walked on the road to Emmaus.
And you opened up all of the scriptures,
and you showed how they all point to you.
And the power of the word of God,
through the living Jesus Christ,
was ministered to those disciples in their heart.
They thought back on what that felt like.
They said,
Oh, did our hearts not burn within us?
And we pray, Lord,
that you, Jesus Christ,
the living word of God,
that you will preach to your people.
We pray that your Holy Spirit
will apply your truth to our hearts.
I pray that you'll guard my lips.
I pray that you'll guard the ears of your people.
Anything that comes out of my mouth
that's not pleasing to you, Lord,
may it just fall to the ground
and blow away like the dust.
But Lord,
any truth of how your word points to Jesus Christ,
how all of God's promises find your yes
and their amen in Jesus,
we pray that you'll make that to burn
in the hearts of your people.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
we ask for your glory.
Amen.
Quote,
The king must die
that the nation may live.
Those were the words of Maximilien Robespierre.
He was one of the radical revolutionaries
in the French Revolution.
The king must die
that the nation may live.
The message of the French Revolution
was liberty for the oppressed.
And in his mind,
if there's no king,
then we can have liberty.
Because liberty equates to having no rules,
no law.
And that's the way the world thinks.
No rules equals happiness.
Well, if you look at what happened in the French Revolution,
is Robespierre was the ringleader for the reign of terror.
If you thought it was bad,
under the corrupt monarchy,
it got much worse during the reign of terror.
An entire class of people
were lined up
and took their turn
at the guillotine.
No king,
no rules
does not lead to happiness.
It leads to chaos.
It leads to a philosophy of might
makes right,
which leads to abuse
and violence.
In today's sermon text,
we heard a reference
to the time of the judges
before Saul and David
became the first kings over Israel.
In the book of Judges,
it ends with this assessment of the nation.
Judges 21-25.
Everyone did what was right
in his own eyes.
Why?
Because there was no king in the land.
So, beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
my message to you today
as we look at the promises
God made to David.
It's that you need a king.
You and I need a king.
My first point is
that God promised
a glorious kingdom
belonging to a great king.
I want to walk through
pretty much this entire sermon text
and simply point that out.
God promised a glorious kingdom
to a great king.
I have six observations here.
Number one,
God displays his glory
by promising gracious blessings
to a nobody.
Look at verse 8.
God takes a nobody like David
and he gives him
these glorious promises of grace.
Look how God reminds David
of where he came from
in verse 8.
Now therefore,
thus shall you say
to my servant David,
thus says the Lord of hosts,
I took you from the sheepfold,
from following the sheep,
to be the ruler
of my people Israel.
David,
I will get all the glory
in what I do through you.
David,
I will give you a great name,
but you need to remember
and never forget,
you were following stinky sheep around
in the grass.
If you get a great name
by being over my people,
it's so that I will get the glory.
Don't touch my glory,
says God to David.
But God promises
he will make a great name
of this man.
In chapter 9 we read,
I have been with you
wherever you have gone
and cut off all of your enemies
from before you
and have made you
a great name,
like the name of the great men
who are on earth.
David experienced just that.
As David fought against
the Philistines early on
and against all the other nations,
on every side,
the Lord gave him victory.
And David was the first one
to admit,
we see this pattern
in all the Psalms,
every time God gives victory,
it's because God
was at his right hand.
It was the presence of God
with David
and with the army.
This name of greatness
that the nations would fear
came because God
was the one doing it.
We see that David
was a man of war
in the stories
that were told
in 1 and 2 Samuel.
He was often in exile.
He had to be chased out
of the land
and live as a sojourner
in foreign lands.
But God promised
to give him
and the entire nation
rest in the land.
Look at verse 10.
I will appoint a place
for my people Israel
and I will plant them
and they may dwell
in a place of their own
and move no more.
Nor shall the sons
of wickedness oppress you.
You will have rest
from all your enemies.
What God promises
is what we all long for.
I think I've shared
with everyone here,
I grew up in Brazil
and the Brazilians
look at me
and think you're not Brazilian
and now in the USA,
no one knows.
I really am Brazilian.
That's what I feel.
I am Brazilian.
And so,
if we belong to Christ
and he is your king,
you belong to the kingdom of God.
That's your identity.
That's where you're at home
is in the kingdom of God
wherever you are.
And it's right and good
and it's preparing your soul
for eternity with him
to feel always
a little bit homesick.
Amen?
Now it's not trying to escape
what he's called us to.
He's planted us here
and he will bring
a new heavens
and a new earth
and in Christ reigning over us
we get to be part of that.
But this promise
that you will have a place.
You will be able
to dwell in peace.
That's what some of you
need to hear today.
And find that place
in the kingdom
of Jesus Christ.
You won't find it
anywhere else.
You can ask the testimony
of other brothers and sisters
who've tried,
peeked in those doors.
it will not satisfy.
You're at home
in Christ's kingdom alone.
Well next is that
the line of the king
over God's chosen people
will be appointed
by God himself.
See, God let the nation
have Saul to show them
you wanted a king
like all the other nations
who's tall and handsome?
You can have that.
And then the Lord
cut off Saul.
And he cut off
all of the line of Saul
to make it very clear
that God will be the one
who will appoint a man
an actual king
over his people.
And God promised David
a house.
The best understanding
in the original language
for the word house
is a dynasty
or a line.
Look at verse 11.
The Lord will make you
a house.
Verse 12.
He will set up
your seed after you.
So a house is a line
of kings,
a dynasty.
We read God's word
as true and inerrant
and clear.
This is an actual
genealogical line
from the king David
in Israelite history
to a man.
God will do this.
We'll see,
David wanted to build
a place
for God to meet
with his people.
But God promised
that David wouldn't
be the one
that would get
to do that.
There would be
a temple.
There would be
a dwelling place,
a place where
the holy God
would meet
with sinners
and forgive them
and dwell with them
by grace.
But it wouldn't be
something David
would build.
It would be
the seed of David,
the offspring of David
that would have
to build this.
Verse 13.
He is the one
who shall build
a house for my name,
says God.
Well, David failed
to discipline
his own sons.
Much of the turmoil
we were reading about
in the Psalms,
it comes from problems
that arose from
within the house,
within this house
of David.
He did not discipline
his sons.
He failed.
But God promised
in verse 14,
I will be his father
and he shall be my son.
And if he,
the dynastic king
in the line of David,
commits iniquity,
sins against me,
God,
trespasses my law,
I will chasten him.
I will discipline him
like a loving father does.
But God promised
his steadfast love
would never be taken away.
Look at verse 15.
I took my mercy
away from Saul
and I removed Saul
from before you.
But God promises
to your seed,
I will never remove
my steadfast love.
Verse 15.
My mercy
shall not depart
from him.
from David's
promised offspring.
What a glorious promise
the Lord gives
to his people.
There will be
a kingdom.
This kingdom
will be ruled
by a great king
with a great name.
And if you can be
in this kingdom,
it will be glorious.
God will dwell with you.
God will rule over you
through a man
that will come
from this line
of David.
Well,
God's word
is for his people
in every generation.
And his Holy Spirit
helps us
to see what God
was doing all along.
But we don't want
to flatten out
all of God's revelation.
We want to try
to do our best
to understand
how is this word true
through every step
of redemptive history.
So,
how did God
keep his promises
to national Israel
proving
that he is true
to his word?
Let's not skip this step.
How did God
keep his promises
to national Israel
proving
that he is true
to his word?
Would you turn forward
in your Bible
a bit
to 1 Kings
chapter 8
verse 20?
1 Kings
chapter 8
verse 20.
How did the Lord
keep his promises?
And how does the Bible
interpret God's own
fulfillment
of what he promised?
1 Kings
chapter 8
verse 20.
The son of David,
this promised seed
who would be carrying
on this dynasty
over Israel
was Solomon.
And the Lord
allowed Solomon
to build a temple
and to dedicate
this temple.
And Solomon
prays.
1 Kings
8
20
says
in the words
of Solomon
and so
the Lord
has fulfilled
his word
which he spoke.
I have filled
the position
of my father
David
and sit
on the throne
of Israel.
As the Lord
promised,
I have built
a temple
for the name
of the Lord
God
of Israel.
Look at
verse 24.
He directs
this testimony
to the Lord,
to God.
Verse 24.
You have kept
what you promised
your servant
David,
my father.
You have both
spoken
with your mouth
and fulfilled
it with
your hand.
Praise God
he keeps
his word.
God acts
and ordains
history in such
a way that we
can look back
and see how
God has orchestrated
every event
of redemptive
history for
his people
in every generation.
The greatness
of Solomon's name,
it was something
that was known
worldwide.
There was a queen
from a region
called Sheba.
We read of this
in 2 Chronicles
chapter 9
verses 1 through 8.
And even the queen
of Sheba heard
of the fame
of Solomon
and she said
when she visited
him,
it was a true
report which I heard
in my own land
about your words
and your wisdom.
However,
I did not believe
their words
until I came
and saw
with my own eyes
you exceed
the fame
of which I heard.
Happy are those
who stand
continually before you
and hear your wisdom.
Listen to what
the queen of Sheba
says to Solomon.
Blessed be the
Lord your God
who delights
in you,
setting you
on his throne
to be king
of the Lord
Most High.
What a testimony
of God giving
his promise
the great name
to Solomon
the seed of David
and fulfilling
his word
that he would
sit on the throne
he would build
the temple
and God's glory
filled the temple.
God filled Solomon
with wisdom
so that those
who were in his court
received his counsel
and Israel enjoyed
peace under Solomon.
The Lord is true
to his word.
But we have a problem
when it comes
to national Israel
and the problem
is man.
When blessing
depends on man's
obedience
we suffer.
When blessing
depends on man's
obedience
we are under
a covenant of works.
It's a principle
of works
because if man
disobeys
we bring on curses.
Only perfect obedience
can bring on blessing.
Do you remember
that principle
way back in the
Garden of Eden
as goes the king
so goes the kingdom.
We don't get to
make the rules
God set it up
this way
Adam will be the one
who is to guard
and to keep
and to minister
before God
in the Garden of Eden
and the Lord
set up this principle
of imputed sin
that with Adam's sin
as the federal head
all of mankind
is now fallen
short of the glory
of God
our wills are bound
to be sinful
we're bent in that direction
all that we do
will be tainted
and polluted
by sin
that came from Adam
then in our own pride
our own self-righteousness
our own works
our own willful sin
that just piles on
the sin of a people
and so this same principle
now for national Israel
all it takes
is one of the kings
of this line of David
sinning
rebelling against God
turning to idolatry
this principle of works
will affect
the entire kingdom
as goes the king
so goes the kingdom
we read in the law of God
that the Davidic king
he was to
to memorize it
to write it
make a copy
that the scribes
would inspect
the king was to
reflect
the righteous rule
over the nation
of God himself
well what
what king
under the curse of Adam
can rule a nation
without falling short
of the glory of God
the Davidic king
was to
lead Israel
in the faithful
observance of
all of God's law
that he gave
through Moses
we didn't even
have to go
one generation
past Solomon
to see the fall
to see how man
once again
violates the law
of God
Solomon
was the one
who began
forsaking God
and turning instead
to the idols
that all of his
different marriages
brought into the nation
in 1st Kings 11
verse 2
we read
that you shall not
intermarry with them
nor they with you
for surely
they will turn away
your hearts
after their gods
but Solomon
clung to these
in love
as goes the king
so goes
the kingdom
that temple
that Solomon built
which was filled
with the glory
of God
King Nebuchadnezzar
came and destroyed
and carried the people
away into exile
and so now we have
the throne
of David
sitting empty
no land
no freedom
no law
no peace
and a bad name
how will God
be faithful
to his promises
because when it
depends on man
everyone
gets misery
do you see
how even the story
of God's promise
to David
and the fall
of the nation
to idolatry
even that
it proves to us
that man
has no hope
of blessing
unless God
himself
becomes our king
no man
on earth
can have a hope
of receiving
God's blessing
by being good
enough
and that's why
God himself
had to become
the king
from the line
of David
to fulfill
all of these
promises
if you're back
in our sermon
text
you can turn
there
2 Samuel
chapter 7
2 Samuel 7
there's one more
verse
that we haven't
read yet
in our exposition
and that's
verse 16
2 Samuel
chapter 7
verse 16
as you heard
this the first
time
some of you
might have
thought
that sounds
more glorious
than what
Solomon
or any other
man
could achieve
how will God
be true to his
word
in verse 16
God promised
your house
your kingdom
your throne
shall be
established
forever
before you
the Hebrew
term
forever
it's found
eight times
in this chapter
the foreverness
of God's promises
through David
are a significant
feature of the
Davidic covenant
God is promising
a king
for his people
a name
a throne
which will
last forever
but there sits
Israel
with no name
no land
no king
well even though
Israel is in exile
God continues to
raise up prophets
the people are
idolatrous
but these prophets
the rest of the
prophets of the
Old Testament
they begin
adding on
promises
filling out
this Davidic
promise
this Davidic
covenant
it's pointing to
a future
and fuller
fulfillment
for example
Amos 9
11
prophesied
that a great
day is coming
on which
I the Lord
shall raise up
the tabernacle
of David
which has
fallen down
and I shall
repair
its damages
I will raise
up its ruins
and rebuild it
there's the image
of David's house
fallen down
like a tent
that had all
the pegs
knocked out
and the Lord
says I will
take that
tabernacle of
David
and put it
back up
I'd like for
you to please
turn to the
book of Isaiah
and this is
where I'm
going to keep
us for the
rest of our
time
Isaiah chapter
11
how else did
God add on
promises
and make the
prophecy
be even more
clear of this
anointed messianic
man from the
line of David
Isaiah chapter
11 verse 1
these Isaiah
passages might
be familiar
to you but I
hope that you'll
make the
connection today
when you see
the name of
David attached
to these
Isaiah 11
starting at
verse 1
Isaiah also
prophesies
right before
Israel gets
taken over
there shall
come forth
a rod
from the
stem of
Jesse
who was
Jesse
David's dad
a branch
shall grow
out of its
roots
the spirit
of the
Lord shall
rest upon
him
the spirit
of wisdom
and understanding
the spirit
of counsel
and might
the spirit
of knowledge
and of the
fear of the
Lord
with the
breath of
his lips
he shall
slay the
wicked
verse 5
righteousness
shall be
the belt
of his
loins
and faithfulness
the belt
of his
waist
so for
all the
believing
Israelites
like Daniel
who received
the prophecies
God gave
through Isaiah
they're expecting
from the
physical line
of David
a man
to be born
that God
will raise
up
and in a way
they could only
accept by
faith
he will have
a belt
of righteousness
he will be
so full of
the Holy Spirit
he will pour
out wisdom
and his words
will slay
the enemies
these are
the expectations
they would put
in this
Davidic
man
that God
would raise
up
his
anointed
one
well let's
see how
God fulfilled
these
glorious
promises
in Christ's
first coming
would you
turn back
in Isaiah
to Isaiah
chapter 9
Isaiah 9
starting at
verse 6
this is how
the Lord
God
fulfilled
the promises
of the
Davidic
covenant
in Christ's
first coming
Isaiah
chapter 9
starting at
verse 6
for unto
us
a child
is born
unto us
a son
is given
and the
government
will be
upon his
shoulders
and his
name
will be
called
wonderful
counselor
mighty
God
everlasting
father
prince of
peace
of the
increase
of his
government
and peace
there will
be no
end
it's
forever
upon the
throne
of David
and over
his kingdom
to order
it and
establish it
with judgment
and justice
from that
time
forward
even
forever
the zeal
of the
Lord of
hosts
will perform
this
amen
do you see
the Davidic
covenant
the Lord
never forgot
about it
he wrapped
more glorious
promises
more specific
ways that
only God
could fulfill
he will be
called mighty
God
but he's
from the
house of
David
he's from
the throne
of David
and will
rule over
the kingdom
of David
but he's
the everlasting
father
God made
David
a shepherd
into a
king
Christ
the king
of kings
became
a man
and a
shepherd
the eternal
divine
father
promised
that God
the son
shall take
a body
and he
will be
the only
mediator
between God
and man
he will be
the temple
the meeting
place
God
promised
my son
shall never
commit a
single
iniquity
and nothing
that pleases
me will
my son
leave
undone
he'll do
it all
and yet
my son
will take
the rod
of men
and the
blows
of the
sons
of men
for your
sins
in your
place
God
brought
peace
to his
nation
by David
being a
bloody
man
of war
and Christ
went to
war with
sin
Satan
worldliness
and he
became
bloody
to bring
peace
to his
nation
King
Jesus
rules
over his
people
with his
moral
law
written
on your
hearts
put into
your
minds
his
kingdom
is not
a kingdom
of lawlessness
but it's a
kingdom of
true peace
do you see
how Robespierre
was wrong
but his
words were
right
that's the
only way
the king
had to
die
that his
nation
might live
the zeal
of the
Lord of
hosts
performed
this
through
Jesus
Christ
and that's
how God
fulfills
the forever
forever
the
forever
of the
Davidic
covenant
verse 15
of our
sermon
text
my
mercy
my
loving
kindness
my
covenant
faithfulness
shall not
depart
from my
son Jesus
or any
who are
in him
do you
see how God
fulfilled these
promises
when Christ
first came
to earth
well there's
more glorious
promises still
attached to the
Davidic covenant
I believe
I believe God
will finally
and fully
fulfill all of
these promises
with Christ's
second coming
our sermon
text verse 10
says I will
give a place
for my people
I will plant
them that they
may dwell in a
place of their
own and move
no more
that's not
fulfilled yet
Peter calls
the church
Gentiles and
Jews alike
sojourners
pilgrims
we're more
like Abraham
and Isaac
and Jacob
who are
sojourners
but there
will come
a time
where we
will have
a place
to dwell
forever
we won't
have to
move
anymore
no more
shall the
sons of
wickedness
oppress
them
we're not
there yet
that hasn't
happened
and they
shall have
rest from
all their
enemies
to me
this still
awaits
final fulfillment
at Christ's
second coming
you're in
Isaiah
look at
Isaiah
chapter 9
I'm sorry
chapter 11
now
Isaiah 11
verse 9
the way I
read the
Bible is
that the
days are
still to
come
in the
words of
Isaiah
11
9
when they
shall not
hurt
nor destroy
in all
my holy
mountain
for the
earth
shall be
full
of the
knowledge
of the
Lord
as the
waters
cover
the sea
don't we
long for
that day
Jeremiah 23
5
behold the
days are
coming says
the Lord
that I will
raise to
David a
branch of
righteousness
a king
shall reign
and prosper
and execute
judgment and
righteousness
in all the
earth
and the
Lord is doing
that now in a
spiritual sense
ruling over his
people his
church that are
coming from all
the nations
over all the
earth but there
will come a
day when
our God
in the
flesh Jesus
Christ will
bring the
new heavens
the new
earth the
glorious forever
kingdom that
shall never
be moved
and like the
queen who
traveled to
see Solomon
Christ's bride
from all
nations will
one day meet
Jesus we
will say
like she
did oh you
are even
greater than
what we
heard and
imagined now
that we
meet you
in person
we will
say happy
are we
who get
to stand
continually
before you
in your
presence and
hear your
wisdom blessed
be you oh
Lord God you
have delighted
in us and
for our good
the father has
set you on
his throne to
be our king
forevermore
so church we
need a king
on earth our
king was
crowned with
thorns but
in heaven the
Lord Jesus
Christ is
crowned with
many crowns as
we sing he is
our lamb upon
the throne
awake my soul
and sing of
him who died
for thee and
hail him as
thy matchless
king through
all eternity
so praise God
church the
living glorified
Jesus Christ
he is the
king we need
all hail king
Jesus until he
returns
amen let's go to
the Lord in
prayer
father I thank
you for your
word how you
are true to
your word how
all of your
promises find
their yes and
amen in Jesus
Christ and how
your Holy Spirit
helps us to see
how all of
scripture points
to him and
his glory I
thank you for
these dear
brothers and
sisters who
believe in you
by faith
thank you
Lord that we
can confess
together we
see Christ the
king of kings
the true and
better David
lowly shepherd
mighty king
he the champion
in the battle
where oh death
is now thy
sting in our
place he bled
and conquered
we crown him
lord of
majesty his
shall be the
throne forever
and we shall
air his people
be all glory
be to God
amen