1 . LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
A. Why such a study?
Psalm 45:1 is my verse now: "My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King (and His Kingdom); my tongue is the pen of a ready writer!"
When was the last time you prayed “Thy kingdom come”? What did that mean to you? Are you aware that our prime pursuit in life is to be the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)? Then should we not know what the phrase means?
In 1992 I felt I was being led to do research on the kingdom of man known as Babylon. That study led me into the history of the world, especially as it relates to religion. The study ends where the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord. But that is not the end of kingdom study. I am now being led into the glorious study of the kingdom of heaven, which knows no beginning, nor end.
B. God’s Eternal Rule, and ancient plans
Lamentations 5:19, Acts 7:49, Psalm 9:4, 11:4, 89: 4, 14, 29, 36, 44 , 93:2, 45:6, 97:2, 103:19 , 145:11-13, are some of the many Scriptures that remind us that the Throne, hence, the Kingdom, belong to the Lord. Not just into eternity future but from eternity past. It’s His. Always. The kingdom of heaven is just that, though it will intersect with earth often.
Even during the reign of Kingdom men, the Lord was firmly on the throne of heaven, where Micaiah and Isaiah see Him. I Kings 22:19, Isaiah 16:5.
C. Intersecting Earth
1. Adam
One could argue that a kingdom of sorts was established here about 6000 years ago, through the man Adam, and later his helper Eve, who were given dominion over every living thing (Genesis 1:28). God Himself fellowshipped with his manager and the kingdom on earth was doing the will of the kingdom in heaven. Heaven and earth met. The tree of life was prominent in the midst of the garden God later planted, and man’s domain was secure, pleasant, and prospering.
Heaven and earth seem intersected in Genesis 1-3. In the New Jerusalem, where the throne of God and the Lamb will abide, a similar scene appears, complete with the tree of life, hidden for all these years from Adam’s race. There will be the final and complete fellowshipping of these two realms.
But in between, thousands of years of the curse. Death. War. Self. And out of the midst of the mess man is making, a nation is formed, commissioned to receive and record the message of God for sinful man.
2. Moses’ predictions
To the man Moses is given the task of leading the formed nation from its bondage in Egypt to a land that God will show Him. It is through Moses that we first understand God’s desire and plan for a kingdom, and not just a family (although we can’t ignore the precious promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, and Jacob in Genesis 35:10). Jesus even declares to us, as we enter our inheritance (Matthew 25:34), that the idea of a kingdom was in His mind from the foundation of the world. Albeit, it is to be a Kingdom on His terms, not Israel’s.
So the nation forms. It is transferred from Canaan to Egypt. Bondage follows. Moses is called and begins his deliverance. The laws that govern the kingdom come at Mt. Sinai. Every kingdom must have laws.
And, in Exodus 19:6, we find that Israel is to be a kingdom of priests. Even more startling is the word given by Moses just before Israel crosses into the Promised Land, Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Here the prediction is made that Israel will one day want a king that matches all the kings they have seen or heard of until now. It is startling because we always thought that God was surprised at that suggestion so many years later, when dealing with Samuel and Saul. Samuel was surprised and hurt, but God knew all along about the kingdom. God tells them way back here in the wilderness, the true description of the King God desires. The ruler chosen of God is to be centered not on horses and wives and gold, but on the Word of God.
So God indeed had a plan to establish the kingdom of heaven, a ruler-ship from God, on earth, but it must be done with His men and in His way, and in His time.
3. Saul and the Spirit
With Saul, in I Samuel 8, comes the attempt at man’s way. Israel wants a king. Samuel, the prophet of the day, senses that their heart is not right. They already have a king, God Almighty, and He is ruling them through Samuel’s words. Samuel is hurt. God is hurt. But He is not shocked. And He allows Israel to learn a great lesson from this episode.
Saul, the one chosen of God for Israel, is a man in touch with heaven, albeit in spite of himself. God’s true reign must have the touch of Heaven on it, and God selflessly manifests His power in King Saul, until it becomes obvious to all that he is going to be a rebel against the purposes of God (I Samuel 9 and following). The Spirit of God comes on Saul, and He prophesies. He is victorious in battle, because God is with him. He overcomes his shyness and walks in great authority. But it all goes to his head, and he begins to rely on the arm of flesh and the decisions of his brain.
The kingdom has emerged. But when God cannot be the King of His own Kingdom, He must find a man after His own heart to do the job according to the plan. The stakes are too high to allow just anyone to be in charge. Where is a man who listens to God?
2 . THE LINE OF DAVID
A. David
1. In History
In I Samuel 15:28 we read that the kingdom is torn from Saul and given to David, a young shepherd who has established a relationship with the King of Kings out on his hillside, while keeping the flock (Psalm 23). Such a man is fit to rule the people of God, since God’s rule will be allowed flow through Him. More than that, it is His family, the tribe of Judah, of the ancestry of Abraham, that had long before been chosen to bring the Christ into the world.
Immediately the Spirit of the Lord transfers from Saul to David, I Samuel 16:13, showing us the intersection of Heaven and earth once more in this kingdom matter. Let no one tell us today that an earthly kingdom cannot also be a heavenly one. Israel is God’s kingdom. Israel is filled with God. It is heavenly and it is earthly.
2. In Covenant
II Samuel 5:12, David knew that it was the Lord who had established Him, and that He had exalted the Kingdom for Israel’s sake. This was confirmed to him by direct revelation from God, II Samuel 7: 8-16. The incredible Davidic covenant included several factors:
a. God’s people Israel will have a permanent place.
b. Rather than David building God a House, God is going to build David a house.
c. His own son (Solomon) will build the Temple.
d. God will establish the Throne of David forever!
e. Though Solomon fail (and he did!) the mercy of God will not be taken from David, so as to change the line of ancestry.
Forever is a long time. But because the house and the Throne of David will culminate in the man Christ Jesus, forever is how long we will see this promise fulfilled. David had a son, who had a son, etc…
3. In Prophecy
An astounding collection of texts conclusively proves the connection between David’s throne and Christ’s, showing that the intersection is to remain, and be an eternal thing.
a. Psalm 18:50 declares the mercy of God to David’s descendants “forevermore”.
b. Psalm 89 is a pure anthem of testimony to the Covenant with David, saying God has sworn that David’s seed and David’s Throne are secure forever, as surely as the sun and moon exist.
c. Psalm 132:11 promises with another oath that the fruit of David’s body will sit on David’s throne!
d. Isaiah joins in with His famous chapter 9, where in verse 7 he speaks of the endless government of the Son-Who-is-the-Father on the throne of David. Also see Isaiah 16:5, compared to Matthew 25:31.
e. Jeremiah’s “Branch”, 23:5, is to be of this house.
f. Jeremiah 30:9 speaks of a raised-up David who will be their king after the Day of Jacob’s Trouble.
g. Jeremiah 33: 14-26 reports more oath-like confirmations of God’s promise to raise from David’s House a Branch, under whose shade Israel will be secure.
h. Ezekiel boldly predicts that the one shepherd who shall feed Israel in the last days is actually David (34:23-24, 37:24-25).
4. In the Life of Christ Jesus
Jesus is soon and often called the Son of David. By angels and blind men and sinners and saints, the connection is quickly made from the Old Covenant to the New. The Son of David. The New David. The king has come. Matthew 1:1, 1:20, 9:27, 15:22, 21:9. That was indeed the thinking of the apostles and those to whom Jesus ministered. Messiah is here. Only the religious leaders rejected this claim, for obvious reasons!
Jesus does not deny the title when dealing with them, but adds to it in his riddle to the Pharisees, Matthew 22: 41-46. He wants to know how the coming Messiah (Christ) can be called Son of David, and Lord at the same time. How could He be God and man? They not only had no clue, but they decided not to throw questions Jesus’ way any longer.
The clearest New Testament reference to the transfer of the seat of His great ancestor to His greater Self is in Luke 1:32. "(Jesus) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest (God), and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father (ancestor) David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."
B. Solomon
After the death of David, the kingdom is established in the hand of Solomon (I Kings 2:46). But a problem arises. The promises suddenly seem to be conditional, as God looks ahead into Solomon’s life and sees things there that do not match up with a true spiritual kingdom, a fellowship with God and man. In I Kings 9:4, God makes the future of Solomon’s kingdom conditional on Solomon’s behavior. Serious problem. Solomon’s behavior did not measure up, to say it politely. The kingdom is to be taken from Solomon. The house of God is to be cast out. God will not spare. Now how will He do this, and keep the mountain of oaths regarding David?
I Kings 11:11 is where the sad news comes to David’s son that the kingdom is to be ripped from him, in the next generation. But he is told that for the sake of his father, and we must believe for the sake of the Greater David to come, one tribe is to remain intact, the tribe of Judah. Small though it is, it will be called “the kingdom” also (II Kings 14:5).
C. Suspension
The fortunes of both Judah and the rest of Israel vary through the coming years, but the general direction, because of growing idolatry and disobedience of every kind, is down. Israel is taken captive by the Assyrians, never to regain its glory days. Judah follows the same route, and towards her end a horrible promise is made to one of the last kings of the line (Jeremiah 22:30). Coniah (Jeconiah) will have sons, but they will not succeed him on the throne. He will never see a son or physical descendant of his on the throne of David. Yet Jeconiah is a true descendant of that noble king. Where are the promises of God? (See also comments about Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 36:30.) Matthew 1’s genealogy is a key to the answer, followed by Luke 3’s.
David had another son. Nathan. Through Nathan eventually will be born Mary. Thus David’s house will produce a Son who rules. Now, Coniah’s blood line ends in Joseph (one angel even calls Joseph “Son of David”!), but by Jewish law Jesus is King by legal descent from David and fleshly descent from Mary.
To the point at hand, suspension, another promise is made by Hosea , in 3:4-5 of his prophecy: The children of Israel are to be without a king or prince, without sacrifice or any of the priestly trappings, for many days. Then Israel shall return, seek God, and David! and fear the Lord in the latter days. It must be clear to even the casual reader that this promise has not been fulfilled. It serves as the explanation of the rest of Jewish history even unto our day. It also serves as the final bridge between the Old Testament “Throne of David” and the New Testament entity of that name. It should prove to those who feel God is finished with Israel that He has barely begun. For where David leaves off, Messiah will begin.
D. Promises Made
After recording the history of these things, the Bible turns to promises. We have already seen what some of these prophets foretold, and later in this narrative we will share many more of their words. But for now, we take the journey from the lesser David to the Greater, and see what was on His mind as He entered this world, and the Jewish nation, and the public eye.
