An eternal line of kings

2 Samuel 7:1-16

The nation of Israel, having asked for a king, suffered the legacy of King Saul. He drifted away from following God which led to years of civil war as David established his family as the royal family. David was from the tribe of Judah (see importance of that in ‘The royal line of Judah’ post) and God established his throne and brought peace (v1).

However, God had much bigger plans than a brief period of peace for Israel and in this important chapter we see God speaking through His prophet Nathan of His eternal plans.

God begins His message to David by reminding him of the fact that he was chosen out of obscurity and made king (v8). He reminds David that He has always been with him (v9) with the aim of providing for His people (vv10,11). God goes on to promise that David’s son will sit on the throne and build a temple for God (vv12,13).

But then the prophecy takes things to a whole new level!

Not only is God going to provide an heir to continue the kingly line but he is going to establish the kingdom forever (v13). Yes - FOREVER!! David’s family are going to become an eternal line of kings: ‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever’ (v16). This is not just a figure of speech or hyperbole. When God says, ‘Forever’, He means forever. He is going to make David the head of a line of kings that will rule His kingdom forever and ever.

There is no doubt that this is incredible but I think this is not the most significant aspect of the prophecy. In verse 14 God describes Himself as being a father to the future king and this king being His son. Basically God is saying that He is going to adopt David and his descendants as sons and ensure that His ‘lovingkindness will not depart from him’ (v15). Just let the impact of that sink in. God is preparing to identify Himself with the royal line and establish it as a line of sons whom He will love with an everlasting love.

And this line of son-kings will culminate in the person of Jesus!

Further reading:   Matthew 1:1-17

Worship video:

 

To think about:
Samuel found David living a life of insignificance and obscurity when he anointed him to be king. We feel the same way about ourselves. We feel insignificant. But God says that we are significant because he has adopted us into His family. Think about the areas in your life where you have made a significant difference in someone else’s life.

Creative response:

Journal page by Bernice

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