God's Covenant with David was Unconditional, 2 Samuel 7:1-9

What is often called replacement theology has re-emerged in these days and it is a challenge to God’s faithfulness.  By replacement theology we mean that doctrine that says that God has determined to give to the Church the blessings He promised to give to Abraham’s earthly descendents.  God clearly promised to Abraham a land (Gen. 12:1,6-7; 13:14-18) and to never permanently remove Israel from that land but to always bring them back if, because of sin, they were removed (Deut. 32:26-27,43).  Replacement theology says that Israel finally crossed a line in the rejection of their Messiah so that God is now spiritually fulfilling those promises to the spiritual descendents of Abraham, the Church.

We say “re-emerged” because this idea of God taking away His promise to Israel (i.e. the descendants of Jacob) first appeared at the time Israel was taken captive to Babylon.  At that time the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) laid claim to the land given to Israel, determining that God had withdrawn His promise to Jacob’s descendants (Ezek. 35, esp. v5,10,13,15).  

We have often responded to this idea by reflections on God’s unconditional covenant with Abraham.  But from today’s passage we want to reflect on another unconditional covenant of God that exists within the Abrahamic covenant.  That is, the covenant God made with David that is critical to His promise to Abraham.  God works through the Davidic King (the Messiah) to bring about the complete fulfillment of His promise to the Fathers.  In 2 Samuel the covenant is recorded in 7:12-16 but we would like to draw attention to the entire chapter to show many things that demonstrate that this covenant was unconditional.  David did not earn this covenant; as in the case of Abraham it came to David by faith.

·        7:1-3: David did not ask for this from God.  David never had in mind that God should establish his house when he told Nathan the prophet that he wanted to build a permanent home for the Ark.  God’s covenant with David was not an answer to prayer.

·        7:4-7: God did not ask David to build a house for Him.  God is specific about this.  He had never asked anyone.  You can see in this the thought that David was exceptional in that this had come to his mind and heart.  But you can also see in this the thought that God puts David in his place, so to speak.  As Solomon would later affirm, no one can build a house that contains God (1 Kings 8:27).  God speaks of David as His servant and reminds him that his rise to power was all God’s doing, which is the next thing to consider.

·        7:8-9: The prelude to God’s covenant with David is a reminder that God has already been gracious.  The rise form shepherd to king over Israel to victorious conqueror to a name like the great men who are on the earth is all a work God’s claims for Himself.  (We will say more about this in tomorrow’s post.)