David Forshadows Christ As King, Priest & Prophet

DAVID FORSHADOWING CHRIST AS KING, PRIEST AND PROPHET

2 Samuel 23:1-7

INTRODUCTION

The Lord Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. But long before He was born, God predicted His coming through the prophets of the Old Testament. One of these prophets was the greatest king who ever ruled Israel, King David himself. Scripture teaches that David was a prophet and priest as well as king of the nation. And in these three offices, David was a type of Christ, a type who pointed to the coming Ideal Prophet, Priest and King. All three offices are of critical importance for man’s salvation. As the Ideal Prophet, Jesus Christ proclaimed the perfect Word of God. As the Ideal Priest, Jesus Christ stands as the perfect Mediator between God and man, representing us and making us acceptable to God through His shed blood. As the Ideal King, Jesus Christ rules and reigns over the universe as the Sovereign Lord before whom we are all to bow and worship in service throughout all eternity. Note that this great oracle includes the last words of David, standing as a poetic testimony, a legacy of his life. Sometime during the latter years of his life, perhaps the very last year, David sat down to write this very brief, poetic testimony of his life.

MAJOR POINTS

1. The portrait of David: a type, foreshadow of Christ as king, priest, and prophet (v.1-2).

2. The duty of God’s anointed: a lesson on the believer’s duty (v.3-4).

3. The results of godly service: a picture of God’s goodness, His blessings (v.5).

4. The justice of God’s anointed upon evil, rebellious people: a picture of judgment (v.6-7).

1. A portrait of David is painted in these verses, a picture that points to David as a type of Christ. David foreshadowed Christ as King, Priest and Prophet.

David was exalted and anointed by the God of Jacob (2 Samuel 23:1). He had the most humble beginning, being a simple shepherd boy tending the sheep for his father Jesse. His father had achieved nothing of significance in his life so far as is known. But his father was an Israelite of the tribe of Judah. Being an Israelite from the tribe of Judah pointed toward David’s being the fulfillment of the predicted king who would be the very founder of the Messianic line (Genesis 49:10-12; Deut. 17:14-15).

The simple shepherd boy was taken from his humble family and exalted, anointed to be king by the God of Jacob. The same God who exalted Jacob also exalted David. God used Jacob to found the nation Israel and used David to found the royal family that was to rule God’s people and to give rise to the coming Messiah and Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. David was also a priest who became known as the sweet psalmist of Israel, the psalmist who led Israel in worship (2 Samuel 23:1). Of the 150 songs in the book of Psalms, at least 73 are said to have been written by him. Throughout his service as the anointed king of Israel, David periodically performed various priestly functions. However, he would have been prevented from performing those functions that were preserved only for the Levitical priest.

3. David was also a prophet, a man through whom the Spirit of the Lord spoke (2 Samuel 23:2). David says that the Lord’s Word was on his tongue. The idea is that the Lord was speaking through him, inspiring the songs he was writing. Note that this is a definite claim of divine inspiration for the psalms, just as much as inspiration is claimed for all the Scripture, both the New and the Old Testaments (2 Tim. 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Also note that the New Testament claims that David was a prophet (Acts 2:30).

THINK ON THIS:

David is a clear type of Jesus Christ, foreshadowing Christ as King, Priest and Prophet. This is clearly taught in the Holy Scripture.

1) Jesus Christ is declared to be King, the Ruler of Israel and the Ruler of the universe. The implication is clear: we are to subject ourselves to Him as the Ruler and Lord of our lives.

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES

"Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2).

"Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass" (Matthew 21:5).

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

"And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33).