But what about a king? As we learned in the previous post, God promised David that his dynasty would last forever. But 400 years later, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, and there were no more Davidic kings. It sure seemed that God didn’t keep his promise.
Except that God did keep his promise. This is why the Gospels of Matthew and Luke include their genealogies of Jesus, to show that Jesus is of the line of David. Two ways. First in Matthew we learn that Jesus is of the legal line of David because Jesus’ adopted father Joseph was a descendant of David. Second in Luke we learn that Jesus is also of the biological line of David because Jesus’ mother Mary was also a descendant of David.
Though Jesus never sat on a throne in Jerusalem, he is king! With Jesus we see a vivid connection to the word “forever.” No human king or throne or nation is truly forever. But Jesus is. He is the forever king.
There is a new covenant that God makes through Jesus to those who will be believe in him, confessing Jesus as their King and living their lives to serve him.
The writer of Hebrews mentions the two covenants, the old and new. In Hebrews chapter eight, here is how the writer talks about them:
“The ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.”
The writer of Hebrews says quite a bit more than that, and I encourage you to study Hebrews chapters 8 and 9 to learn more. What I am getting at is the idea that we are the beneficiaries of the new covenant that God has with his people.
This is why at the Last Supper Jesus said to his disciples, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
God’s new covenant is no longer with a biological ethnicity or geographical nation. God’s new covenant is with all those who are in Christ. God’s covenant, therefore, is with the church, the true disciples of Jesus from all nations, all tribes, all ethnicities, men and women, young and old, across the centuries.
This new covenant is how God can promise David that his throne will be forever. Through David’s descendant, Jesus, who came so that all people might be able to experience abundant life on earth and eternal life after death. That is very, very Good News.
When David gets this news, he responds to God in prayer. A beautiful prayer that we will study in the next post!
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 