| COVENANT WITH DAVID |

A lot has happened since we first met David. As our passage today says, God took him from the pasture, from following sheep, that he should be prince over the people of the Lord (2 Samuel 7:8). Here are just a few bullet points.

  • Saul gave David a position in his court after he defeated Goliath.
  • David became a mighty warrior in the eyes of the people.
  • Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him.
  • David was chased all over the countryside by Saul, often humiliated and fearing for his life.
  • God preserved David’s life through many dangers.
  • David refused to take the life of Saul even when he was given the opportunity because Saul was still the Lord’s anointed king of Israel.
  • Saul is defeated and killed in a battle with the Philistines.
  • David is established as king.
  • David conquered Jerusalem.
  • David built his palace in Jerusalem.
  • David pushed back the enemies of Israel and established generous borders and peace that would carry into the rule of his son.

That’s a lot for one king! Surely God has done great things to show himself faithful in the life of a shepherd boy.

People and Land

As we have previously seen the heart of the promise of God is that God would create for himself a people and provide for them a land. In this passage, God again declares this promise, this time to King David. In David’s prayer of gratitude, he praises God for redeeming for himself a people out of Egypt and for establishing Israel as his people forever (2 Samuel 7:23-24).

David’s Throne Established Forever

God’s promise to establish the throne of David forever is very important. As we read the Psalms and the prophets and move into the New Testament we will see that David’s throne is literally established forever, even into eternity. Jesus is the descendant of David whom God intended to ultimately reign over all of creation for all time. The throne of David is actually God’s throne and David only gets to sit on it for a time in order that this shepherd king would lead a nation to worship the Lord.