"Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and lovingkindness..." Neh 9:32a Our God is a covenant God. He is a maker and keeper of covenants. He makes promises and keeps those promises. There are everlasting covenants God enters into on His own, where the actions of another person or persons have nothing to do with the outcome. He establishes what He is going to do, He declares it, and fulfills it in His time. God's Covenant with Abraham is an example of this. Then there are the conditional covenants that God enters into WITH another party. The other party does have a part to play in the outcome. They enter into a promise and as long as they do their part, God does His part. The Mosaic Covenant is an example of this.
The Davidic Covenant, found in 1 Chronicles 17, is God making an everlasting covenant with David. David's actions will have no impact on the outcome. It will be brought about no matter what David or his descendants do.
God's timing in revealing the Davidic covenant was when David was in the middle of deciding what he "needs to do" for God. It had occurred to David that he was living in a house of cedar, while the Lord's Ark of the Covenant was in a tent. The reality of this hits him, and he talks to Nathan the prophet about it. Nathan immediately encourages David to do what is in his heart (building a House for the Lord) for the Lord is with David. The Lord was with David, but He was not with this plan and He tells Nathan as much that night.
"Go and tell David My servant, 'Thus says the LORD, "You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?' Now, therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth......Moreover, I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you. When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever. According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 1Ch 17:4-8, 9-10b, 11-15
This passage is so packed full of truths, promises and revelations! It is so rich and awesome!!! We could spend ages on this passage. But to keep the focus of our Advent, we have been following the scarlet thread of the Promised Messiah, and here the genealogy narrows yet again. It has already been revealed that He would be of the seed of woman, through the line of Abraham, Jacob, and Judah. It is revealed from Judah's family line, He will be of the House of David. Not only that, but He will be eternal and have an everlasting kingdom. God also reveals it will be God's own Son sitting on the throne of David, His Son will come from the line of David, and it would be His Son Who would build a house for God and have an everlasting kingdom!!!!
Often the prophecies that were given by God's prophets foretold future events that would not be fulfilled in that prophet's lifetime. But God had a validation system built in for people to know if the prophet and the prophecy given were truly from Him.
"When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." [Deu 18:22 NASB]
Even if the fullness of the prophecy was meant for a later time, there would need to be a near fulfillment of that prophecy to validate the faithfulness of God and that the prophecy was truly from Him. This is a consistent pattern God uses throughout scripture, one of types and near/far fulfillment of prophecy.
The near fulfillment of this prophecy in Nathan the prophet's lifetime was there would be a son born to David, Solomon, and he would build a house for the Lord. But the house he built the Lord was out of wood and stone. And this near fulfillment would be a flawed man, who would sin, not one of perfection and righteousness. In the parallel passage of this covenant given in 2 Samuel 7, there is a piece of the prophecy that only pertains to the near fulfillment, not the Messiah:
".....when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. [2Sa 7:14b-15 NASB]
Unlike the Messiah, Who is perfect and without sin, Solomon would commit iniquity as would his descendants after him, some so very grievously. In spite of this, God promised He would not remove the kingdom from David's line, as He did with King Saul. The Messiah WOULD come through the line of David. God had made a covenant with David and He would keep His promise in spite of the actions of David's descendants after him.
The far fulfillment of this prophetic covenant would be the coming of the King, an actual descendant of David someday coming, ruling and reigning forever. The far fulfillment would be the coming of a Son, a descendant of David, God's Son, and He would build an eternal House for God.
The Lord has sworn a truth to David, A truth from which He will not turn back: "Of the fruit of your body I will set up your throne." Psalm 132:11
"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 the earth." Jeremiah 23:5
David had a picture of what he was going to do for the Lord. He was going to build a house for the Lord, but instead God was going to build a house for David. God's Son would be the one building the house without hands. God was going to establish the kingdom of this Son forever! God's promise did not rely on David in any way. There were no works of David's hands that could make this promise any more or less true. This promise could be counted on to be completely fulfilled, because it depended on God, not man. The promise, protection for, and fulfillment of, were all for God to do, not man.
This does not mean Satan did not try to thwart God's plan. He has been trying to upset God's plan from the beginning. Knowing the specific line the seed of the woman would come through put Satan into attack and destroy mode against the line of David. All you have to do is pick up your Bible and read the history of David, Solomon, and the Kings of Judah after them. Adultery, murder, rape, and idolatry, are just few of the methods used to try and wipe out the line of David and upset the plan of God's redemption for mankind. At one point in the history of Judah, the royal line of David is wiped out by a wicked queen, save one little baby, who is hidden away for seven years by his aunt and her husband, the faithful high priest of the time. (2 Kings 11)
God's plan and purpose will not be thwarted. He is God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Lord of all!! There is none who can thwart Him or upset His holy plan. He has no equal. There is such awesome security and confidence knowing Who is in charge and knowing we are His.
For us, being IN His perfect plan is the absolute best place to be. Seeking His will and purpose for our lives is the most secure, steadfast place for us. He does have a plan and a purpose for each of our lives. Asking Him what He would have us do, and how He would have us going about doing it should be a part of our daily talking to Him. We should not get ahead of ourselves, thinking we know what it is. Doing so may make us miss out on such blessings and intimacy with Him. Be still. Seek His face. Listen to His promptings in our lives. See the things He has established and laid out before you to do. It may be in the daily ministry to your family. It may be in the mission field of your job, whatever that job may be. It may be being called into circumstances or situations we could never have imagined. Whatever it is, let it be what He has ordained for us, not what we ordain for ourselves.
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. [Heb 13:20-21 NASB]
And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. [Luk 9:23 NASB]
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. [Eph 2:10 NASB]
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. [Pro 3:5-6 NASB]
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