If I am honest with anyone reading this then I am using this series to do my own thinking upon the story of salvation found within the pages of Scripture. These are things that I have thought through and taught in the past, but as I write them I am forced to ponder it even more. So, it is a really cool process that I am able to venture through. We have looked already at the story of our salvation in the Book of Genesis and then we looked at it in the story of the Exodus and the Conquests of Joshua. Now we will consider the story of salvation through the eternal reign of David.
Redemption Out Of Darkness
Oftentimes you will here Americans talking about how bad things are morally. Though there is a lot to agree with them on, the morality of times past was oftentimes worse. One of those time periods, and possibly the worst of those time periods, was the time period written about in the Book of Judges and Ruth. It is the time of the Judges.
The people of Israel had made it into the Promised Land, Joshua had led them in the taking of the Promised Land, and the people had been given their inheritance in the Promised Land. Things seemed as if they could go well for the Israelites. Yet, Joshua warned them before his death that harm would come to them if they abandoned God for the gods of the land (Joshua 24:19-28). And the warning was needed, for shortly after comes the period of the Judges.
The time period of the Judges was morally repugnant. During the time period of the Judges different people, known as Judges were leading Israel. We encounter a number of them throughout the Book of Judges. And there are some wonderful stories about God’s continued faithfulness to His people, but it is during a time period when the people of Israel have abandoned their way. And the godlessness of the time period is summed up with the repeated phrase
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. – Judges 21:25 – similar or exact parallels (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1)
So, it is within the context of moral chaos that we begin to see why the people were calling for a king. And also why God would use a king to save His people.
God Chose An Unlikely King
The people chose a king before they were supposed to do so. God had planned for there to be a king all along, but not yet. In fact, the peoples demand for a king was seen as their rejection of God as their king. And as it turns out they chose a king that looked like a king. He was tall and handsome, the type of person that we envision even now as a king. But the problem was that he was disobedient very early in his reign. He wasn’t king long before God rejected him as king and began looking for someone else.
The king God would choose seemed to be the exact opposite of Saul, the first king of Israel. Samuel, the prophet is directed to go to the house of Jesse and one of his sons would be chosen as king. The story is quite humorous if you would like to read it. It is found in 1 Samuel 16. Jesse brought all of his sons out to be seen by the prophet Samuel. God would choose one of them. Samuel looks at the sons one by one and not a one of them is God’s chosen king. Samuel makes it through all of the sons and none has been chosen. Jesse had left one of his sons outside “keeping the sheep”. Apparently his father did not see him as the king type, but God did.
God’s Promise To The King
Years passed by before David actually became king. Saul sought to kill David and eventually David was made king. He successfully brought the Kingdom into unity after it having been united for so long and overall had a prosperous reign. It was not without its hiccups. And David’s life itself was not without its failures, but you get the sense that Israel was very prosperous while he was the ruler.
God made a promise to David during his reign as king,
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall 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. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”- 1 Samuel 7:12-29a ESV
God promised to continue the reign of David after his death. This was immediately fulfilled in Solomon, yet the fulfillment was also “established forever”. There is no king over Israel currently. How then is the throne of David established forever?
God’s Promise To The King Fulfilled In Christ
Another person who came from the lineage of David, or the “House of Jesse”, has come and will rule and reign forever. Again, if you’ve been following along then you’re not surprised when I tell you that this person is Jesus. The Prophet Jeremiah later old of one who would “execute justice and righteousness in the land” in Jeremiah 23:5. The Prophet Isaiah tells of a coming King whose government would know no end in Isaiah 9. The person who fulfills these promises is Jesus. Read the statement given to Mary before Jesus’ birth.
And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. – Luke 1:31-33 ESV
The Davidic Throne Reigning Over The Ultimate Promised Land
When we begin to ponder what this means it is staggering. Jesus has come and will reign over God’s Kingdom forever. This King has come and made a way for us to be in His Kingdom through His life, death, and resurrection. If we trust in Him we are united with Him and brought into the glorious Promised Land that He is presiding over. What a glorious story!
R. Dwain Minor
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