(Note – Some of the material in this article is taken from the previous article – “Looking For ‘The Kingdom’”, and presented here, in the context of the flow of the story.)
There is much background behind Hebrews 10. But we are making progress.
Beginning in the Garden, and moving through Noah, God’s covenant with Abraham, and most recently, His covenant with Israel, given through Moses, we have seen several key developments in the Story –
- The One Who Is Coming to crush the Enemy will indeed bring, not simply relief from the curse, but, in it’s place blessing.
- Abraham’s descendants are becoming a nation, just as God promised in His covenant with Abraham.
- For the first time since the Garden, God has acted to once again dwell among men. Although there are strong indications of the inherent challenges in this, mankind has not yet begun to grasp the magnitude of the problem of Holy God dwelling in the midst of sinful man. Hope is advanced as it appears that the consequences of the curse are being reversed.
So, Moses completes the Tabernacle, per God’s instructions and provision, and establishes the Aaronic Priesthood (Exodus 21-40, Leviticus, Numbers 1-9). With the Mosaic Covenant in place, the people of Israel set off in pursuit of the other key piece of God’s promise to Abraham, and the next critical step in their becoming a nation – they set out for the Land that will be home for their Nation (Numbers 10-12).
Arriving on the threshold of that Land, they send in spies to check things out. In the spies’ report, the bounty of the Land is overshadowed by their fear of the inhabitants. Rather than trusting God, and His promises that go all the way back to Abraham, the people rebel, prompting God’s wrath – none of those who rebelled would enter the Promised Land. Of all the generation that rebelled, only Joshua and Caleb, the two spies, out of twelve, who trusted God and urged Israel forward, would ever step foot in the Land (Numbers 13-14). Israel would wander in the Wilderness for 40 years (Numbers 15-25), until the very last man of the rebels died (Numbers 26:65).
At the end of the 40 years, with the new generation ready to enter the Promised Land, Moses presents them with the terms of The Mosaic Covenant (Book of Deuteronomy). Since he has been forbidden from entering the promise land, leadership is transferred to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31-34), under whom they will take possession of much, but not all, of the Land promised to them (Book of Joshua).
The Book of Judges records the next 200-300 years of Israel’s history. This period is characterized by cycles in which the people of Israel turn away from God, and, are enslaved by one of the surrounding nations. Eventually, they cry out to God, Who raises up a judge to deliver them. With succeeding generations, the cycle repeats over and over. In these cycles, the character of the people that God uses, and the details of the stories, surprise us. Even the good guys are often rogues. The problem is explained in the last sentence of the book – “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Israel is going to need a King.
While we tend to think of Samuel as a prophet, he was the last Judge. At the end of his tenure, Israel, in fact, demanded a king “like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). Although this desire reflected Israel’s rejection of God (1 Samuel 8:7), the Kingdom was a part of God’s plan from before the foundation of the world (cf. Matthew 25:34).
So, in response to their rejection, and in line with His plan, God gives them a king. First, of the sort they would choose, a king like the nations around them – Saul. Of course, His reign was a disaster.
Having illustrated the foolishness of their choice, God installs His kind of King – a man after His own heart – David. Having secured His reign (2 Samuel 7:1), David wanted to build God a house. Instead, God made a covenant with Him to “establish [his] house… forever” (2 Samuel 7:8-17). Although some elements of the covenant were fulfilled by Solomon, God promised that “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Note the three elements of this promise –
- Dynasty – David’s house will endure forever. Although God had cut off Saul’s line, so that his reign would not continue through his sons (v. 15), God promised that He would never do this with David. His line will always be the royal line.
- Kingdom – The realm over which David ruled – Israel – will endure forever. Although there would be times when He would have to discipline those in David’s line (v. 14), God’s steadfast love would never depart from this line (v. 15). The implication of this promise is that, even during times when Israel is dispersed, they can always expect to be restored as a nation, with one of David’s descendants as King.
- Throne – Whereas “house” emphasizes the royal line, and “kingdom” the realm, “throne” emphasizes the dignity and authority belonging to David’s descendants who succeeded him. Just as David ruled as sovereign under God’s authority, so would his promised Seed.
Like the promise to Abraham, this David Covenant is unilateral, and is, in fact, an expansion of God’s Covenant with Abraham, whom God had promised to make into a great nation. As we have seen, his descendants became the nation of Israel, the nation over which David ruled. Now, in this Covenant we learn that Israel’s greatness is such that the Kingdom of Israel will endure forever.
This does not mean that it will be uninterrupted. Remember, 2 Samuel 7:14 leaves room for God to discipline David’s descendants who commit iniquity. Psalm 89 seems to depict just such a situation, recalling God’s covenant with David (89:19-29), including the provision for punishing his descendants without invalidating the promises (89:30-37). The Psalmist, Ethan, clings to the hope of this covenant, even as the Kingdom lay in ruin (89:38-45), looking forward to a time when God will restore the Kingdom to Israel (89:46-52).
So, while the Kingdom may be interrupted, it will not be finally overthrown. It will be restored. And when it is restored, a descendant of David will be on the throne, reigning as King . . . forever. It is in His reign that Israel will experience the glory, as a nation, that God promised to Abraham. So, the One Who Will Come to defeat the Enemy and restore God’s Kingdom will be a descendant of David, ruling on Israel’s throne forever.
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