Diving In Session 4 Covenant 7 The Davidic Covenant cont.

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Eschatological Fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant

“… facts are stubborn things. It is a fact that God has declared that Israel is not to cease from being a nation before Him for ever. It is a fact that the Jewish nation, still in unbelief, survivor of all others, alone retains its national identity…. It is a fact that the promise of a land (the territorial limits of which were defined) to the posterity of Abraham, as also the promise of a son of David’s own line to occupy David’s throne for ever, were unconditional promises, ratified by covenant and oath. It is a fact that the posterity of Abraham has never yet fully possessed and enjoyed the whole of the land so granted and that no son of David occupies David’s throne, nor can do so enduringly till Jesus returns to earth…. The O.T. promises are all as certain of fulfillment in their O.T. sense and meaning and purpose to Israel, as are the N.T. promises certain of fulfillment to the Church.”

Samuel Hinds Wilkinson, The Israel Promises and Their Fulfilment (London: John Bale, Sons and Danielsson, Ltd., 1936), pp. 56-57.

This week we want to look at the scope and status of the Davidic Covenant with a view to its fulfilment, which is as certain as the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow (Jer. 33:20-21). But what does that mean – for Israel, for the Church and for the world? And for the Lord Jesus Himself?

The Big Picture

  • Eschatological elements of Abrahamic and Land Covenants
    • The context of the Davidic Covenant is both the Abrahamic and Land Covenants. But also, God’s purposes for Israel have an eschatological fulfilment, for which the Davidic Covenant is fundamental. Is going too far to say, that without Israel there is no eschaton? Without the Davidic Covenant, the Abrahamic and Land Covenants cannot be fulfilled? (See Jer. 33:20-26)
    • God has tied His Covenants with Israel and David to the duration of His covenant with day and night, and with the ordinances of the sun and moon, i.e. as long as the earth lasts. The dissolution of the creation marks the end of the eschaton – the end of all things – and God has covenanted that Israel will exist right until then.
  • No Israel – no eschaton!
    • A-Millennialism – all fulfilled in first century – depressing
    • Post-Millennialism – all fulfilled by and in the Church – delusional
  • Beyond just blessing the nations through Abraham
    • Jew and Gentile fellow-heirs
    • One cannot be a joint heir with Israel if Israel is an entity only of the past!

The Purpose of the Covenant

The purpose of the Covenant is to establish a royal dynasty that would secure the future kingship of Israel. As we saw last week, the previous covenants established a nation, a land and a legal system to unite the nation in the land, but it needed someone to be appointed so that ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ – ultimately to be fulfilled in “great David’s greater Son”. In the words of Gabriel to Mary:

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

The Davidic covenant thus identifies more precisely the promised “seed” who will mediate God’s government of the nation and so enable it to mediate the international blessing God had planned through the Abrahamic Covenant: he will be a royal descendant of Abraham through David.

Therefore this covenant introduces a subtle but significant shift in focus. With the great nation promised to Abraham now firmly established (2 Sam. 7:1), attention zooms in on his royal offspring (cf. Gen. 17:6, 16). This royal line, already traced explicitly in Genesis via Jacob (Gen. 35:11), Judah (Gen. 49:10), and through Perez to David (Ruth 4:18-22), culminates in an individual, conquering “seed” who will fulfil the promise of Genesis 22:17-18 and the hope expressed in Psalm 72:17.

To summarize the Davidic Covenant, God promised David four eternal things: an eternal House or dynasty, an eternal Throne, an eternal Kingdom, and an eternal Descendant. The eternality of the House, Throne, and Kingdom is guaranteed because the Seed of David culminates in One who is Himself eternal: the Messianic God Man. (Rev. 22:16)

Arnold Fruchtenbaum

The question we need to answer is, “Has this already been fulfilled in David’s descendants and finally in Jesus’ incarnation or is there a future fulfilment?”

I think we would all agree that it has been at least partially fulfilled – Solomon was the one established on David’s throne, and was to build the Temple. But it was also prophesied that David’s tent would fall and be restored ‘in that day’ (Amos 9:11-15) – the fact that the tent was fallen means that there has been a halt in the progress of the covenant and the fact that it is to be restored ‘in that day’ meant that halt was not permanent, but simply a hiatus. But when is the hiatus to end? Was it ended when the promise was transferred to Jesus at His incarnation?

A plain reading of Amos 9:11-15 shows that the kingdom described in those verses hasn’t been fulfilled yet, and follows a captivity, dispersion and regathering of the nation of Israel. The immediate fulfilment of the prophet’s vision of that may have been the Babylonian captivity, but the restoration goes far beyond anything experience by Israel in 536 BC! This leads us to expect a future fulfilment, along with the restoration of Israel from another and greater captivity, which ties in with the Covenant promises to Abraham and the people of Israel in the Land Covenant.

The Messiah and His throne, house, and kingdom will be established for ever (I Chr. 17:12-15). In this passage, it is the Person Himself that is established upon David’s throne for ever, not merely the throne. Clearly, the emphasis in the I Chronicles passage is not on Solomon, but on the Messiah … The Messiah, as well as His throne, His house, and His kingdom are to be established for ever.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum

But what does that mean – for Israel, for the Church and for the world? And for the Lord Jesus Himself? The problem of fulfilment. Most agree that Christ fulfils the Davidic Covenant – the angel’s word to Mary in Luke 1:32-33 are incontrovertible:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

The eternal Descendant, His great name, the eternal throne and the eternal Kingdom promised to David are all transferred to the Lord Jesus. So it’s not a question of whether Christ fulfils the covenant, but how? Two main answers, driven by theological systems of interpretation:

  1. It was completely fulfilled by Jesus incarnation, ascension and current reign in heaven at the Father’s right hand
  2. It will be fulfilled by Jesus’ personal return and reign in earth during the Messianic kingdom

Ignoring systems of interpretation, Dr. John Walvoord suggests that we need to ask:

  • (1) Does the Davidic covenant require literal fulfilment?
  • (2) Does the partial fulfilment already a matter of history permit a literal fulfilment?
  • (3) Is the interpretation of this covenant in harmony with other covenant purposes of God?
  • (4) What does the New Testament teach regarding the present and future reign of Christ?

Read 1 Chron. 17:7-14

(1) Does the Davidic covenant require literal fulfilment?

The Scriptures, read simply with no theological framework, imply a literal kingdom with a literal king, or succession of kings, reigning over Israel in the land of Israel, with ultimately an eternal king and kingdom (to ‘olam ha-ba’). There is no reason to think that it will be a figurative kingdom, fulfilled with another people group who were still future and unknown at the time.

We note that:

  • The covenant was confirmed by an oath
  • David and Solomon understood it to be literal (2 Sam. 7:18-19; 2 Chron. 6:14-16)
  • The language used is literal
  • The Jews understood it to be literal (Matt. 21:9, 15; 22:42-44; Acts 1:6)
  • Literal fulfilment is consistent with the promised of the Abrahamic and Land Covenants, in fact, is required by them

(2) Does the partial fulfilment already a matter of history permit a literal fulfilment?

Difficulty of the literal fulfilment is that it was made 3000 years and not one son of David has sat on a literal throne reigning over Israel in the land of Israel since c. 600 BC – 2400 years ago. So it was partially fulfilled, but then re-promised to Jesus at the Incarnation.

So some take it that there has been a transfer of fulfilment from the physical realm (Israel) to the spiritual realm (the Kingdom of God) through Jesus. The difficulty with this part physical/part spiritual is that it doesn’t actually fulfil the Covenant. If Jesus is not to be enthroned on the throne of David reigning over His people, Israel, it is meaningless!

We see God’s intention in the way that the promises are spoken – David is assured that his seed will continue for ever; Solomon is only told that his throne will continue for ever. The seed of Solomon is cut off at Jeconiah while his throne (said to be the throne of David 1 Kin. 8:20) is promised to the eternal seed of David (Isa. 9:7; Luke 1:32-33). The literal fulfilment of one part should be a guarantee that the other part will likewise be literally fulfilled! In fact, the literal fulfilment of one part is the foundation for the literal fulfilment of the other – otherwise, who is to say what God means when He says something?

(3) Is the interpretation of this covenant in harmony with other covenant purposes of God?

We have seen how the Abrahamic and Land Covenants point to a future literal fulfilment. Reminder:

The Abrahamic Covenant promised

  • Abraham would become a great nation – points to Messiah 1 Chron. 17:15
  • The nation set apart by God from the nations, to be a blessing to the nations Psa. 72
  • A territory in perpetuity for the descendants of Abraham 1 Sam. 7:10 mediated by the Davidic King

Mosaic Covenant given so that the Lord could perform what He had sworn to give the Fathers (Jer. 11:5 – NB covenant language in verse 4, “You shall be My people and I will be your God”) to give them a land flowing with milk and honey.

The Land Covenant promises fulfilled in 1 Sam. 7:10-11

  • Residence in the Land, subject to obedience to the Mosaic Covenant
  • Ultimate restoration to the Land
  • Ultimate regeneration of the people
  • Dwelling in the Land in peace and prosperity

All these are reiterated and confirmed in the Davidic Covenant!

“… it is clear that the Davidic covenant fits perfectly into the picture. It is the covenant ground for the earthly rule of Christ. All the promises regarding the nation Israel, the possession of the land, the millennial blessings in general, and the return of Christ to reign are in perfect harmony with a literal fulfillment of the covenant. The purpose of God in David is fulfilled in the reign of Christ. This has two aspects: His millennial reign and the continued rule of God in the new earth for eternity.” (Walvoord)

In Isa 55:3 God says’, “I will make (or cut) an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David”. This is confirmation of the Davidic Covenant:

  • “I will” in that verse is imperfect, “what is actually being expressed is an incomplete condition … continuous, unfinished action which may be expressed in past, present and future time”
  • It is emphatic, strengthening the ‘sure’ mercies of David (‘My hesed promised to David’ – compare David’s treatment of Mephibosheth because of his covenant with Jonathan).
  • This is based on the fact that “I have given him” or “I have made him” v. 4 – a completed action “a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.”
  • Note the context – ch. 54 has not yet been fulfilled, but will be during the reign of Messiah. What the Psalmist had I mind when penning Psa. 72!

In Ezek. 37:23-28, the Lord confirms that, when He has restored Israel – the 10 tribes and the 2 tribes as a single nation (never happened yet!), then He will restore David His prince ruling as king over them:

Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes. They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and their children’s children, and My servant David will be their prince forever.”

(4) What does the New Testament teach regarding the present and future reign of Christ?

We have seen “the New Testament confirmation of the purpose of God to fulfil the Davidic Covenant literally (Luke 1:32, 33). The New Testament has in all fifty-nine references to David. It also has many references to the present session of Christ [the exaltation of Christ to the throne of His Father]. A search of the New Testament reveals that there is not one reference connecting the present session of Christ with the Davidic throne.” (Walvoord)

Peter mentions this is Acts 2:30-35, where he draws a distinction between the throne of David, which Jesus will occupy when His foes become His footstool, and Jesus being exalted to the throne of His Father in His ascension.

James refers to the ‘tent’ of David which is fallen down’ in Acts 15:15-17. We note that, despite Jesus’ enthronement which Peter mentions in ch.2, the tent of David is still fallen down in Acts 15 and its restoration is still future – “after these things” (v.16) – after what things? the gathering of a people for His Name from the Gentiles – which triggers the regathering and salvation of Israel (Rom. 11:25-26). Amos 9 has not yet been fulfilled, but will be in the Messianic Kingdom, which follows the judgment Amos describes in the earlier part of the chapter (Amos 9:1-10)

Some theologies which do not have place for a physical Millennium, speculate that Jesus is reigning from the throne of David now. This is nowhere specifically stated in the New Testament but is a deduction. Rather than deduce what Jesus is doing now, let’s look at what the New Testament says Jesus is actually doing now.

A number of NT Scriptures tell us that Jesus is at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; Acts 7:56-60; Col. 1:3; Heb. 1:3; 8:1-2; 12:1; 1 Pet. 3:22). None of them suggest that He is reigning either privately or publicly, but Rom. 8:34 tells us that His role is to intercede for us there (so that we can draw near to the Throne – see Heb. 4:14-15; 7:25; 9:24 – and approach Him as our Advocate 1 John 2:1-2).

In Acts 2:32, Peter, quoting Psa. 110:1, confirms that Jesus is waiting rather than reigning – til His enemies will be made the footstool of His feet, when He will come “whose right it is” Ezek. 21:27 – a reference top Shiloh in Gen. 49:10 – Jacob’s prophecy that Messiah will come from the trine of Judah. We see the fulfilment of this in Rev. 5:5-7 when Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, prevails to take the book and open its seals in readiness to come to reign on the earth in Rev. 19, and the judgments of Revelation are released onto the earth! Followed by the restoration of all things, see Acts 3:19-21 where Peter tells us the Jesus must remain in heaven until then (triggered by the repentance of Israel – back to the Land Covenant! Deut. 30:2-4).

What is Jesus doing right now?

  • 1 Cor. 15 He must reign until His enemies become His footstool (Psa. 110:2) – reigning from His Father’s Throne now and from His own throne (the Davidic Throne) in the Messianic Kingdom (Rev. 3:21 draws the distinction)
  • Col. 1/Heb.1 sustaining creation
  • Eph. 1 head of the body the church
  • – Rev. 1-3 evaluating the church
  • – Eph. 4 gifting the church and directing the activity of the church
  • John 14:2 He is preparing a place for us in the Father’s house
  • He is Thy Lord and worship thou Him Psa. 45:11
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