The Davidic Covenant

King David ask the Lord for permission to build a house of cedar for him. The Lord refused his request and made a promise to David. “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” (2 Sam. 7:13, NKJV).

God’s son, Solomon, would build the temple, but God promised David that his heir would sit on the throne forever. The dynasty of King David continued unbroken until the Babylonian captivity and there has not been a king of Israel since the return of the remnant of Judah. However, God has promised Israel that the Messiah, the Son of David, will return and sit upon the throne of David and reign forever.

This promise was so certain that David writing in the first person, wrote in the Psalms these words. “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: his seed shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me” (Ps. 89:34-36, NKJV). David was most certain of the promise God had made to him.

To a young girl named Mary, the angel Gabriel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give 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 1:30, NKJV).

During the week of Passover, just before He went to the cross, Jesus asked the Pharisees a question. “‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet?’’ ‘If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?’ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions” (Matt. 22:41b-46, ESV).

Jesus was divine because He was the “Only Begotten Son” of God the Father, and His earthly mother was of the lineage of King David. Apparently, the Pharisees did not understand the virgin birth.

The prophet, Isaiah, not only foresaw the coming of a suffering Messiah but also foresaw Him as the heir to the throne of David, where He will reign over both Jews and Gentiles. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. 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, 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” (Isa. 9:6‑7, NKJV).

All four major prophets and several of the minor prophets clearly saw God setting up an everlasting kingdom of justice and righteousness on earth. In fact, this is the major theme of Old Testament prophecy. Although the Jews are in the spotlight in most of our references, it is equally clear that Gentiles will also share in the blessings of God’s everlasting kingdom of peace, justice, and righteousness. Christ came the first time to bring salvation and forgiveness, but when He comes the second time, He will come to judge and rule. The promise of peace and goodwill toward men is yet to be fulfilled.

“He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isa. 2:4‑5, NKJV).

There shall be eternal peace as in the days of the Garden of Eden. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 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. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isa. 11:6‑10, NKJV).

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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