For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.                                  – Isaiah 9:6-7

During the Advent/Christmas season we focus a lot on the Kingship of Jesus. This prophecy from Isaiah is a famous one that proclaims the coming rule of God’s Messiah. A repeated part of these prophecies is that the Messiah will be a descendant of King David. Here, Isaiah says, “He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”

The Messiah would not only rule on David’s throne, but He would reign on it forever. This certainly does not speak of a normal king, for even the greatest and longest reigns eventually come to an end. He would not just be a king, but He would be the King of Kings. He would be Mighty God and Everlasting Father. So, in Jesus we see the culmination of the throne of David, but there is also value in looking at the establishment of that throne and its history from David to Jesus. For the next few months, our newsletter articles will focus on the line of David and the lessons that we can learn from the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

In preparation for this study, it is important to know the history of Israel before the time of David, its most famous king. When Israel entered the Promised Land under Joshua, Joshua was not a king. Joshua, like Moses before him, simply did what the Lord commanded him. The Lord God was truly the king of Israel. Whenever trouble arose, the people would inquire of the Lord, and He would give them instructions. And when they needed a leader, God would hand pick a Judge to deliver the people. This was the system for the first four hundred years Israel spent in the Promised Land.

When the last Judge, Samuel, was nearing the end of his life, the people were not happy when Samuel tried to install his own sons as leaders in Israel, because they were not honest men. Instead, they demanded that Samuel would inquire of the Lord to provide for them a king like the other nations. The Lord responded, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” And Samuel would indeed anoint the first king for the nation of Israel – Saul.

While the Lord blessed Saul with early success, Saul did not obey the Lord. When confronted with his disobedience, he refused to repent and often made excuses. So, the Lord rejected Saul as king and commanded Samuel to anoint a new king – David. And it would be through that king that the Lord would also put into motion the plan to once again establish Himself as the King of Israel – this time for all time.

–Blessings, Pastor Barry