Thursday, December 13, 2007
1 Chronicles 17:12-14 He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.
AN ADVENT MESSAGE TO: DAVID
David wanted to build a house for the LORD, but we are told that the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to David saying, "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in" (1 Chronicles 17:4). Furthermore, Nathan continues, "I tell you that the LORD will build you a house" (1 Chronicles 17:10). The LORD was not going to let David build a house for Him, but instead, the LORD says that He is going to build a house for David!
At first reading, most people think that the person referred to by the LORD in these verses is Solomon, the son of David who built a beautiful temple for the LORD after the death of his father. But the book of Chronicles was not written during the reign of David, nor was it written during the reign of Solomon, but after the kingdom of Judah had been destroyed by the Babylonians. So at the time that this was written, Solomon's glorious temple had been destroyed and there was no longer a son of David and Solomon in authority over the people of Judah. The kingdom of David and Solomon was only a memory now. These verses were recorded by Ezra in order to direct the returning captives to the future fulfillment of this promise in the coming Savior.
Look at the words of the LORD's promise again. One of David's descendants would build the LORD a house and would have a kingdom which would endure forever. This descendant would be the Son of God and He would remain in that house and in God's kingdom forever. It's helpful if we notice that the LORD in these verses is speaking about His kingdom, not David's kingdom.
Jesus was the "Son of David" who also remained the Son of God. Through Jesus, the Son of David, the LORD has established an everlasting house -- the Holy Christian Church -- and He has promised us that His kingdom will have no end.
