A Bible lesson by Ivor Jefferies
1. Who was David and what do you know about his life?
2. Make a list of the promises God made to David in 2 Sam. 7:9b-16.
3. How were these promises fulfilled in David and his son Solomon?
- A great name: 2 Sam. 7:9b, 8:13. David’s name appears in Scripture more than any other Bible character’s.1
- A resting place: 2 Sam. 7:10-11b, 8:2-3, 6, 14 (cf. Gen. 15:18), 1 Kings 5:3-4, Ps. 132:8, 14.
- I will build him a house: 2 Sam. 7:11c, Matt. 1:6-16.
- A kingdom for David’s son: 2 Sam. 7:12, 1 Kings 2:12.
- David’s son will build God’s house: 2 Sam. 7:13a, 1 Kings 8:17-20.
- David’s son is God’s son: 2 Sam. 7:14a, 1 Chron. 28:6.
- God will discipline David’s son for sin: 2 Sam. 7:14b, 1 Kings 11:9-11, 14, 23-25.
- God will not remove his covenant love from David’s son: 2 Sam. 7:15, 1 Kings 12:24, 11:11-13, Eccl. 1:1, 12:13.
4. How is God’s royal covenant with David ultimately fulfilled in Christ?
- A great name: Matt. 12:42, 22:41-45. A fairly well-known tribute to Christ by James Allen Francis reads:
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never owned a house. He never went to college. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on earth as much as this one solitary life.”2
- A resting place: Isa. 4:6, 11:1, 10, Heb. 4:3, 8-10.
- I will build Him a house: Ps. 132:11-12, Isa. 53:10, Rom. 15:12, Heb. 2:13b, Rev. 7:9-10.
- A kingdom for David’s Son: Ps. 110:1, 89:27, Rev. 19:16.
- David’s Son will build God’s house: Zech. 6:12-13, Matt. 16:18, Eph. 2:20-22, 1 Pet. 2:5.
- His kingdom is forever: Ps. 89:3-4, 29, 36-37, Isa. 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33, Rev. 11:15.
- David’s Son is God’s Son: Ps. 89:26, Matt. 3:17, Rom. 1:3-4, Heb. 1:5, Rev. 22:16.
- God will discipline David’s Son for sin: Ps. 89:30-32, Isa. 53:5, Matt. 27:26, 1 Cor. 15:3.
- God will not remove his covenant love from David’s Son: Ps. 89:33-35, John 3:35, Acts 2:27-35.
5. How should we respond to the royal promises God made to Christ?
- A great name: Acts 4:12, Rom. 10:13, Phil. 2:9-11.
- A resting place: Matt. 11:28-30, Rev. 14:13.
- I will build Him a house and He will build God’s house: Acts 2:41-42, Eph. 4:11-13, Heb. 10:25.
- An eternal kingdom for David’s Son: Ps. 2:6-12, 72:10-11, 15, 17, Matt. 6:10, John 3:3, 5, Acts 28:23.
- David’s Son is God’s Son: John 1:49, 20:28.
- God will discipline David’s Son for sin: 1 John 4:10, 19.
- God will not remove his covenant love from David’s Son: Ps. 136:1-3, Jer. 31:3, John 13:1, Rom. 8:38-39.
For unto us a Child is born,
a Royal Son is giv’n;
his rule extends from sea to sea,
from earth up into heav’n.
In counsel He is Wonderful,
He is the Prince of Peace,
the Mighty God and source of all
whose power cannot cease.
His rule and peace will never end,
it will increase forever;
the zeal and justice of the Lord
will see to this endeavour.
1 Whereas Moses’ name appears 789 times and Abraham’s 231 times, David’s name appears 970 times (ESV).
2 Mark Jones, Knowing Christ (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2015), xv.